Past and Present Danger
by SilversGrey
Summary: Lexie's past forces Mark to take a long hard look at where things are going between the two of them, and to decide once and for all whether or not they really can adapt to a hostile environment.
1. Chapter 1

**1.**

"So how's Derek?" Lexie asked rather nervously as she fiddled with the paper coffee cup in her hand, trying desperately to look at anything _but _Meredith.

Callie tried to concentrate on the chart that was laid out in front of her at the nurse's station, but she couldn't seem to hold back the snort that erupted from within her. It seemed to distract both Grey's as they turned there attention from the awkward silence to the red faced Ortho sitting in front of them. Callie looked down at her chart then back up again with a humiliated look on her face, "uhh, I'm gonna…I'm going…_bones!" _Callie suddenly yelled out quite loudly as she jumped from her chair to gather her charts and other belongings into her arms, "that's what I do around here…I'm the Orthopaedic, and I look after broken bones…so I'm um gonna go find some broken bones" Callie managed to stutter out and then scampered off.

Meredith and Lexie both stood in silence as they watched Callie disappear down the hallway; Lexie couldn't help but shake her head at the woman she had come to consider a good friend after this whole ordeal. When Lexie managed to pull herself together and finally look Meredith in the eye she wasn't greeted with a look on her sister's face but rather her sister's retreating back. Lexie sighed in defeat and shook her head, it had been four weeks since Derek and Mark's fight and still neither one was talking to the other. Lexie hated not talking, she hated the fact that Mark and Derek weren't talking, she hated the fact that she and Meredith were not talking and now even she and Derek were not talking. While Derek was till struggling to overcome his spout of self doubt everything else had changed and not for the better, now the four hardly even spoke…Lexie hated all of this because deep down, despite the fact that Mark never said it, she knew how much he was missing his best friend.

"Grey!" Lexie jumped at the sound of her name being called out and quickly turned on her heel to be greeted by Dr. Bailey.

"Grey you're with Dr. Reid today…"

"Ahh…ex…excuse me, Dr. Reid…as in Dr. Jackson Reid, renown neurosurgeon...that Dr. Reid?" Lexie stuttered out as she cut off the attending.

Bailey stood there shaking her head in disbelief at the intern, "did I stutter Grey, do you know of another Jackson Reid walking down the halls of Seattle Grace?"

"No Dr…Dr. Bailey it's just that, well…."

"Spit it out Grey we ain't got all day because there are lives to be saved, patients who would like to live through the day to see tomorrow".

"Isn't Dr. Reid in Boston?" Lexie asked bluntly, knowing that Dr. Bailey was getting tired of the nervous act.

"He was, and he is, but unfortunately Dr. Shepherd's patient requires a procedure that has only been preformed by _2 _doctors in this entire country, if his ever going to have a chance at walking again. And it just so happens that Dr. Reid is one of them, so Dr. Shepherd put in a call and Dr. Reid agreed to take a look at the patient, to see if surgery is a viable option…so know he needs an intern and that intern is you, so GO!" Bailey barked, Miranda couldn't help but shake her head and laugh as she watched Lexie run down the hallway. "I still got it" Miranda cheered herself on as she too made her way over to her patient.

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"Where's Dr. Shepherd?" Jackson Reid asked as he leant against the nurse's station in front of Mark.

"How the hell should I know?" Mark snapped back, he was really starting to get frustrated because lately everyone was under the impression that Mark and Derek were ok, that they were back on neutral ground. But they weren't, they were not ok and as far as Mark was concerned they wouldn't be ok….at least not until Derek apologised.

Reid let out an awkward laugh at Mark's reaction; while he may be the new guy around here he didn't need a crystal ball to see that something was going on between Drs' Sloan and Shepherd.

"Hey", Callie jumped in before Reid could ask another question.

"Hey" Reid responded with a huge smile on his face because right know he was really happy to see a friendly face. "Dr. Jackson Reid, I'm a Neurosurgeon."

At first Callie couldn't help but notice how incredibly hot the man standing in front of her was, he looked like he belonged on the billboard of a Calvin Klein ad. He was tall, around Mark's height and was built pretty well, but it was the face that did it, a chiselled jaw, piercing blue eyes. Callie hated to admit it but the guy practically looked like a walking, talking _younger _version of Mark Sloan…only without the grey hair. But then her careful appraisal of the man turned into a blank stare, because she wasn't quite sure how to respond to a man whom who just declared himself as a Neurosurgeon, especially when there one was still a bit loopy...."Ahh Dr. Callie Torres and I am the Ortho surgeon around here".

"Well it's nice to meet you Dr. Torres" Reid responded while holding his hand out to shake Callie's, "and I hope your having a wonderful day so far".

Callie knew in that instant that she didn't like this man because he had this flirty, sexy grin all over his face. Callie gave Mark a look that screamed _who the hell is this guy? _This only got a shrug from Mark. Turning her attention back to the new Neuro "well I am now officially a one woman woman, so I guess you could say I'm great" Callie replied with a huge dopey grin on her face.

Reid was now confused as hell and didn't know what Callie was talking back. Mark saw the puzzled look on Reid's face and couldn't help but smirk at the situation. Mark enjoyed it when he had the inside scoop and others didn't. "She's referring to the fact that she's dating the surgeon from Peds".

"And he's a she?" Reid asked, slowly putting the pieces together.

"Yep he's a she, but no one knows yet. We're kind of keeping it quite for now, the only ones that know are Mark and Lexie…well and you, but you can't tell anyone" Callie quickly rambled on as she concentrated on the chart in front of her.

"Hey" Mark exclaimed as he quickly straightened his posture and pasted a huge cheesy grin on his face.

"Hey" Lexie quickly replied back with a smile on her face that could rival Mark's. However her demeanour change the minute that her attention was turned to Dr. Reid and Mark couldn't help but notice it. All of the sudden Lexie became quite fidgety and nervous…as if she was about ready to crawl out of her own skin and that was just from being around this guy for two seconds. "Dr. Reid I've been assigned to your services today".

The instant that Lexie said those words Mark's big cheesy grin turned into a huge frown, while Callie tried her hardest to keep a smile off her face. Mark didn't like the way that Reid's face lit up at the news that Lexie would be his intern…not one single bit. Reid on the other hand was actually looking forward to this, to have the chance to work alone with Dr. Grey without any interruptions. To find out what it was about this Mark Sloan that had tongues waging about the two of them, because try as he might Reid just couldn't picture Dr. Grey with a guy like that. "Dr. Grey it's a pleasure to have you on board, why don't we go and check on our patient shall we?" Reid asked in his most sincere voice and made his way down the corridor.

"Bye", Lexie quickly waved to Mark and Callie and followed in Addison's direction.

Mark shook his head at Callie, but before he could get a word in he was cut off by the sound of Derek's voice, "Have you been in to see Mr. Brooks today Dr. Sloan?"

"No Dr. Shepherd I haven't been in to see Mr. Brooks, in fact I was just on my way" Mark responded, thinking to himself that if this was the way that Derek was going to act then he would do the same.

"What are you so happy about?" Derek asked Callie, who still couldn't stop smiling at the situation.

Mark shook his head and pointed in Torres' direction, "not a word", with his most intimidating look, a look that he knew Callie was now immune to…just like Lexie.

Callie took a deep breath and turned to Derek, "well if you must know Dr. Shepherd I'm smiling because_ his_" Callie exclaimed while pointing at Mark "girlfriend is now spending the entire day working side by side…one on one with the Neuro guy that looks like he just came out of an underwear ad. So they have all the time in the world to get to know each other and I think that our Head of Plastics here is just a little bit threatened by that".

Mark looked Callie dead straight in the eyes, "you just love this, don't you?"

Derek wanted to laugh, Derek wanted Mark to squirm but an even bigger part of him didn't. It was the part of him that knew exactly how Mark was feeling right now that stoped him, because it was the same thing he had felt every time he had seen Meredith with that McVet. "It'll pass" Derek simply offered in a small attempt of sympathy.

Mark merely shrugged his shoulders because he wasn't really sure how to respond to that.

Callie shook her head in disbelief, "morons" Callie intentionally mumbled loud enough so that both surgeons could hear her.

"Excuse me?" both men asked simultaneously.

Callie rolled her eyes at both men's complete and utter ignorance of the situation, and they weren't making it easy for anyone else...especially Meredith and Lexie. Until now everybody else, including Meredith and Lexie, had made a silent pact to let the two of them deal with all of this themselves but as far as Callie was concerned, enough is enough. "You two have known each other practically your entire lives, you're practically brothers and if you were able to get past the whole Addison thing then why the hell can't you two get past this stupid fight. Do you two even realise what you're putting the rest of this hospital through...what your putting your _girlfriend's _through? Who may I remind you are sisters, sisters who feel like they have to side with their stupid boyfriends, so therefore they're not allowed to talk to one another? So I'll tell you what Mr. Big Shots…grow the hell up and get over yourselves!" Callie practically yelled at Derek and Mark. "You" Callie exclaimed while pointing at Mark "are pissed at Derek for hitting you and I get that, we all get that" Callie said while waving her hand around, "and you're also pissed because he didn't trust you to not hurt little Grey, and because he made you feel like what you were doing was some sort of dark and dirty thing. But what you need to get is that right now he" pointing at Derek "needs you. He needs you to be his person and tell him what he needs to hear so he can get through these surgeries one day at a time. Because while you're all pissed off at him you're missing the fact that is hurting, that his lost and he doesn't know where to go from here". Callie then turned her attention to Derek, "and _you_! You're pissed off as hell…you're pissed off at yourself, you're pissed off at the fact that your patient died and you're pissed off about Mark and Lexie. But at no point was your anger directed at the fact that he lied to you about Lexie, you're pissed off because somewhere along the line your best friend grew up…he grew up and finally became ready to commit to something real and _you _missed that". Callie had to take a deep breath before she went on any further because she was running out of juice, "try as he might deny it, Mark Sloan has fallen in love with her…he has fallen in love with little Grey and while Mark may have grown up his still the same. There's apart of him that's freaking out right now because he's never done this before, so you need to wake up and realise that while you've been all dark and stormy your best friend came over to the dark side…he fell in love and right now he needs you Derek. He needs _you_ to reassure him that he can do this, that he can actually be a one woman man kind of guy and that he's _not_ going to screw it up, because if he does god help us all…I mean if this is the way he is when he's lost you what the hell would he be like if he lost Grey?" Callie took a deep breath to try and gain her composure before storming off while shouting out "morons!"

Mark and Derek both stood rooted in their spots while seriously thinking about what Callie had just said, slowly Mark and Derek began to shift their gaze to each other, they both looked each other in the eye for a second before quickly shaking their heads and walking off in opposite directions.

"Morons" Callie mumbled to herself again as she watched the two walk away, while suddenly a nurse came down the hall only to see Dr. Torres' head sticking out from around the corner while the rest of her body was hidden behind the wall; Callie let out an awkward smile as she straightened herself up and sprinted down the hall.

**Reviews welcomed ******


	2. Chapter 2

Lexie was certain that if she kept staring at the elevator doors any longer she'd burn a hole through them, but then again the alternative wasn't really an option. She was hoping…no praying beyond belief that Reid would do his job and then just go back to where it is he came from. But on the day of Susan's funeral Lexie learnt that nothing would ever go the way she planned, and this was just another turn of events to drive that point home. Lexie could feel him staring into the back of her head but she refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he was getting to her, _he will not get to you, think of Mark, think of Mark…_Lexie kept chanting to herself quietly with her eyes squeezed shut, hoping that when she opened her eyes again Reid would have magically disappeared.

Reid knew that he was getting to her, that much was clear and he also knew that he could wait this out; he could play whatever silly game it was that Lexie was determined to play. Reid knew he had screwed up last time, he knew that if he had any chance of things going back to the way they were then he'd have to play it cool, let Lexie feel like she was the one making all the decisions. Reid knew that Lexie didn't like to be pushed and she sure as hell didn't like to fell as though she was being played, so in the end it was all a matter of playing the waiting game. And as far as he was concerned if it meant that in the long run he'd ended up achieving the sole purpose of his visit to Seattle Grace then it was worth it….it was worth it if it meant that he'd win Lexie Grey back. "So this is how were going to play it? Pretend like we're two complete strangers meeting for the first time?" Reid asked with a smirk on his face.

Lexie folded her arms across her chest and continued to look dead ahead, refusing to give in she ignored him in the hopes that he'd shut up. Reid shook his head at the way that Lexie was behaving, this wasn't the woman he knew, the woman he knew would have torn him to shreds by now for what he had done to her. Reid slowly took a few steps towards Lexie so that he could close the gap between them, when he saw that Lexie wasn't going to step away he gently reached his arm out so that he could brush away some of her hair behind her ear so he could get a good look at her, "I've missed you".

The instant that he touched her Lexie could remember, she could remember what it felt like to have him touch her the way he used, _damn photographic memory_. Suddenly Lexie couldn't help but smile, not because she had missed feeling this man touch her, but because it was at that precise moment that Lexie realised that she felt nothing. Sure it brought back some fond memories, but to Lexie that's all they were, just memories, in reality all Lexie could do was think about how much she wanted it to be Mark, how much she needed it to be Mark. She hated the idea of any other man touching her the way that Mark did, in that moment Lexie realised that Mark was the _only _man that she ever wanted to feel touch her…for the rest of her life. And upon that bombshell Lexie quickly yet quietly stepped away from Reid, who still had his hand on her shoulder, just in time for the elevator doors to open. Lexie turned to Reid for a split second so that she could take a hard look at the man that she once thought she was in love with, "I've moved on, and you're too late" and stepped off the elevator.

"It's never too late" Reid whispered to himself as he followed in pursuit of Lexie.

**Reviews welcomed, and thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. Sorry this is such a short piece but have faith, I do have a plan…this is going somewhere and the chapters won't all be as small as this. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"How are you feeling this morning Mr. Reynolds?" Reid asked his newest patient as he went over the man's chart.

Mr. Reynolds was currently lying flat as a pancake so as to reduce the risk of any further damage to his spinal chord. "Great" he replied with sarcasm, "who wouldn't love a front row view of Seattle Grace's ceiling 24/7?"

Lexie couldn't help but smile a little at Mr. Reynolds, despite the impossible situation that the man was currently facing he was more than willing to stay positive and believe that the doctors of Seattle Grace would make him walk again. That's the thing about surgeons after all isn't, patient's come through the doors of this hospital broken and bruised, hoping…no, expecting surgeons to be a god and to fix them. To put them back together, just the way they were before and Derek Shepherd was a prime example of what happens when a surgeon can't deliver…when they can't be god.

"Dr. Grey?" Reid called out, waiting for Lexie to present.

"Mr. Steven Reynolds was involved in a MVA accident in which he was hit by a drunken drive approximately three months ago. Upon arrival to the E.R. at Seattle Pres. he displayed symptoms of sever pain in his cervical spine, delayed sensory reaction and restricted motor function which later on developed into paralysis. He was transferred here to Seattle Grace for a consult with Dr. Shepherd and upon further examination Dr. Shepherd has diagnosed Mr. Reynolds with Bilateral InterFacet Dislocation…"

"Dr. Grey perhaps you could explain to Mr. Reynolds here what BFD is exactly?"

Lexie moved over to the patient so that he could see her clearly, "Bilateral Facet Dislocation is where the integrity of all ligaments of the cervical canal is lost, including posterior ligaments, anterior & posterior longitudinal ligaments, disc, and the articular facet joints…", Lexie was cut off by Reid who held his hand up to stop her from going any further.

Reid then also made his way around the bed so that he could see Mr. Reynolds properly while standing directly behind Lexie; with his arms crossed over his chest he looked his new patient straight in the eyes. "Mr. Reynolds did you understand a word of that?"

"She lost me after MVA"

Both doctor's couldn't help but smile at each other and for a split second it felt like the good old days for Reid, the days when they'd share their own private little jokes. "Well Mr. Reynolds maybe we could go through this a bit more slowly for you. Essentially what Dr. Grey is trying to explain to you is that during the accident you suffered a spinal injury…"

"Yeah I don't have to be a neurosurgeon to have worked that one out" the patient cut in with a smile on his face.

Reid silently nodded his head in agreement to the patient before continuing on, "in your case Mr. Reynolds it's not your typical spinal injury, the spinal cord itself is in tact. It's the tissue and ligaments surrounding the spinal cord which you have severely injured and without treatment it could lead to permanent paralysis".

Lexie could see the fear in the patient's eyes the minute that Reid had said _permanent paralysis_. Despite how long she had been doing this, it still surprised Lexie how much patients cling to a surgeons every word.

"But you can_ fix_ this…you can make me walk again?" Reynolds asked hesitantly with a glint of hope in his eyes.

"Basically what we'll be doing is called cryosurgery. We'll be freezing the damaged ligaments that are surrounding your spinal cord and then attempt to repair the damage through a reduction procedure".

"And that will make me walk?" Reynolds repeated once again, the man was beginning to show text book signs of frustration and who could blame him. Right now he didn't care about all the medical jargon and techno babble, right now all he cared about was being told that this surgeon could fix him and put him back together.

"Yes" Reid flat out answered, and as he turned to Lexie he could see the disapproval on her face for giving the patient a frank answer, an answer that he may very well be unable to deliver.

"Dr. Reid could I speak with you for a moment please" Lexie asked as she began to make her way towards the door. But as she turned and saw that Reid wasn't following Lexie instructed "out side please" in the most sincere and sweet voice that she could muster at that moment.

"Excuse us" Reid addressed to the patient and then followed Lexie out into the hallway. As he left the room he was greeted with Lexie standing there with her arms crossed over her chest and quite a pissed off look on her face. "You had no right to do that"

"Do what?" Reid asked feigning ignorance as he mimicked Lexie's stance.

"Don't play dumb with me Jackson; you had _no _right telling Mr. Reynolds that you can make him walk again. You don't know that…you don't know that he'll be able to walk, you're not god".

"I'm pretty close to it…and since when have we've moved onto first name basis again, I'd be careful people might get the wrong idea" Reid responded with a smirk on his face as he took a step closer towards Lexie.

Lexie immediately took a step back, Reid's insistence on stepping into Lexie's personal space was starting to annoy her and she didn't even want to think about what would happen if Mark was to witness it. "Stop it" Lexie hissed at him, "Dr. Reid I am addressing you purely on a professional level and pointing out the fact that you had no right in guaranteeing Mr. Reynolds that he'd gain full movement of his extremities". With having felt that she had said her piece Lexie side stepped Reid so that she could return to the patients room, but suddenly she felt Reid grasp her right hand to stop her from going any further.

"Lex, you and I both know that we've always been anything _but _professional" Reid responded with a softened look that also had a hint of pleading in it, pleading for her to remember how it use to be and how it could be if she would just give him another chance.

Lexie's stern look softened just a tad, while she knew that she no longer felt the same way for him as she did once she would always be fond of the man. Not able to trust her own voice Lexie reached out to release Reid's grasp on her in complete silence and then headed straight back to the patient.

Reid took a minute to compose himself before he went back in there, this was beginning to look like it would be a lot harder than he had originally thought it would to win Lexie back…especially with _Dr. Sloan _in the picture. Suddenly Reid could sense someone staring at him and as he turned towards that direction he was greeted with what he thought was a pleasant surprise. Reid couldn't help but let out a full blown smile take over his face as he waved to Mark who was standing at the end of the hallway with a contemptuous look on his face. Reid wasn't sure how long Mark had been standing there or what he had seen, but he was hoping that it was enough to make the man start asking questions; he then quietly made his way back towards the patient's room, leaving Mark with nothing else but his imagination.

**Reviews welcomed, and thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. I apologise if the medical stuff sounds screwy but my knowledge is zero to none so if something doesn't sound plausible, do me a favour and just go with it. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Reviews welcomed, and thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far and I'm thrilled that people are enjoying this as much as I am writing it. My mind's racing with so many different ways that this thing can go.**

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**Chapter 4**

"So then I popped the guy's shoulder back into it's joint" Callie stated while stabbing at her chicken salad, and as she was about to take a bit from her fork she looked at Mark only to realise that he hadn't heard a word of what she had said. Callie placed the contents on her fork into her mouth and after washing it down with water she began nodding her head, "and then we stripped down to noting but our underwear and had hot sex right there in the triage room".

"Ahha" Mark replied absent minded to Callie's latter comment about her patient, which only achieve in Mark being pegged with a cherry tomato right on the forehead. "Hey!" Mark exclaimed with an unamused look on his face.

"Well you asked for it" Callie responded like a five year old, "You haven't been listening to a word I've said".

"Have so"

"Have not"

"Have so"

"Really, because I would have thought my telling you that I had hot, steamy sex with a _male _patient in the middle of the triage room would have gotten some sort of response out of you…but I got zilch".

Mark shrugged his shoulders and went back to concentrating on his own food when he suddenly did a double take, "you did what with a patient?"

Callie rolled her eyes as she looked up at the ceiling for some divine inspiration on how to handle the mystery that is Mark Sloan. "I didn't do anything, I was just seeing if you were paying attention and clearly you weren't. Besides I'm still working on the Ped's surgeon".

"More like _hiding _from the Ped's surgeon" Mark retorted with a smirk on his face.

"Shut up" Callie exclaimed while she viciously stabbed her chicken salad.

"Well if this is what your bed side manners are like these days no wonder the Ped's surgeon's been running from you" Mark jokingly stated.

Callie looked up from her salad, "do you want me to hit you again, because I will and I can't promise that this time it's gonna be as small as a cherry tomato".

Mark knew that Callie didn't mean what she was saying, that it was just her frustration over the entire situation. A woman could only handle so many rejections before she went over the edge.

Callie leaned back into her cheer as she scrubbed her face with her hands, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…it's just that I'm getting a bit tired of watching all the together people. You together people are starting to make me sick, all the happy smiley faces. It's disturbing and what's even more disturbing is that right now, I'd kill to be one of you sad, pathetic, happy, smiley together people".

"Yeah well it's not all cracked up as it's supposed to be, so don't let it fool you Torres" Mark responded with a hint of annoyance.

"Ok what did you do?" Callie asked as she folded her arms on to the table and looked Mark straight in the eye.

Mark then leant back into his chair with an even clearer sign of frustration written all over his face. "Why do you automatically assume that _I_ was the one to do the something? It could have been little Grey who did the something"

"I apologise but you're you and Grey's Little Grey, so my mind instantly goes there…ok _what did 'little Grey' do_ exactly that's got you in such a _fine_ mood this afternoon?"

Mark sat there looking into thin air for a minute or two as he went over it again in the back of his mind for the millionth time, Mark had tried to convince himself that he was overreacting and that it wasn't what it looked like. But there was something about the way that Reid was looking at Lexie that Mark couldn't get out of his head, "she's hiding something".

"What?" Callie asked with a confused look on her face.

"Lexie, she's hiding something and it has to do with that Reid guy…" Mark started to say when he was cut off by Callie who was waving her hand in front of him.

"Woah, woah, are you trying to tell me that there's something going on between Grey…Lexie Grey and this Jackson Reid guy?" When Callie didn't get a response from Mark who had a dead serious look on his face Callie couldn't help herself, in that instant she burst out laughing so hard and so loud that practically everyone inside the cafeteria were now looking at her. Callie tried to get a grip and control herself but just couldn't seem to do it, every time she thought she had stoped the visual image would come back into her head and that would start her up again.

"You're not helping" Mark hissed as he leant towards Callie".

"I-I didn't-know-that I-I was supposed to be" Callie responded between fits of laughter.

"Fine" Mark stated bluntly like a little kid and began to get up from his set when Callie instantly grabbed a hold of his hand to pull him back down, that seemed to have sobered Callie up.

"I'm sorry ok, but do you have any idea how ridiculous you are sounding right now…Lexie Grey_, Lexie Grey_, cheating on _you_. That girl is the most loyal person you'll probably ever find on the face of this planet…"

"I know that ok" Mark snapped back with gritted teeth, "but you didn't see them, you didn't see them standing there in the middle of the hallway…"

Callie gasped, "No! They were standing in the middle of the hallway…how dare they" Callie retorted with mock exasperation while taking another bit of her salad.

"You didn't see the way he was looking at her, like he…he could have taken her right then and there…"

"Ok just stop, please for the sake of both are sanities, just stop right there. The way that that creep Reid was looking at her isn't what's important, what's important is the way that Lexie was looking at him. Did Grey look like she wanted to take him on the floor _'right then and there'_?" Callie asked while waving her fork in the air.

"No" Mark begrudgingly answered as though it disappointed him to have to say the word.

"Then…" Callie asked, not really understanding what the problem was.

Mark's mood wasn't improving in the slightest bit; in fact this whole conversation with Callie was only making things worse for him. It was in that minute that Mark was wishing that he could talk to Derek about this, because he knew that Derek would understand; he knew that Derek would be able to spell it all out for him crystal clear and he knew that Derek would understand why Mark was freaking out about this. "Just forget that I even said anything ok"

Callie shook her head in disbelief at Mark because in that instant she could see straight through Mark…she could see what he was doing. "I was wondering when this was gonna happen"

Mark was now the one with the confused look on his face, "when what would happen?"

"When the old Sloan would come back" Callie explained as she took a sip from her bottle watered. "You're happy, really, really happy and you were actually listening to what I said this morning about you being in love with her. And now you're freaking out, you're freaking out because you've never done this before, so now you're hell bent on going back to being the good old self-destructive Mark Sloan".

"This has nothing to do with…" Mark began to protest when he was cut off by the sound of Reid's voice.

"Dr. Torres" Reid acknowledged with a grin on his face and Mark was trying his hardest not to wipe that smug look off his face at that very second.

"Dr. Reid" Callie responded as she mustered a fake smile on her face, the more time she spent with this man the more she disliked him.

"Dr. Torres, Dr. Grey and I have a patient that is suffering from Bilateral InterFacet Dislocation and requires a reduction procedure. I thought that you may be willing to assist if you have the time?"

Callie nodded her head vigorously if it meant getting the man away from Mark as fast as possibly. "Sure thing just let me know when and where".

Reid smiled at Callie then addressed Mark for the first time, "Sloan" with the nod of his head and walked away.

Callie and Mark both watched as the Neurosurgeon walked through the doors of the cafeteria then turned there attention back to each other. "This is perfect" Mark exclaimed with a gleeful look in his eye.

"Mark?" Callie question hesitantly because she didn't like were he was going with this.

Mark leant forward so that no one could here what they were saying, "You can keep an eye on them for me. See if I'm imagining things or not"

Callie looked at him in utter disbelief, "you want me to spy on _your _girlfriend…keep tabs on her to see if she's having some sort of torrid tryst with the new Neuro in the on-call room?"

Mark silently nodded his head, not really seeing the problem with this plan.

Callie shook her head, "hey while I'm at it why don't I make up a little play-by-play for you. I could even write up a he said-she said transcript kind of thing".

Mark rose from his chair as he collected his rubbish, "good idea", and walked away from Callie.

"I was kidding you moron!" Callie yelled out to Mark's retreating back. She sat there for a second or two before she realised that Mark was dead serious about her babysitting little Grey and quickly got up from her seat leaving her rubbish behind as she sprinted off in search of Mark.

As Callie came through the doors of the cafeteria she spotted Mark stepping on to the elevator alone, she dashed over and placed her hand over the side of the elevator doors to stop it from closing. "Mark" Callie called out to him as his head was down.

Mark looked up at the door to see Callie standing there and waited in complete silence for her to say whatever it was she wanted to say.

"Mark you better be sure about this, you better be sure that you really want to go down this road? Because once you do…there's no going back, there's no going back to the way it was before" Callie asked with a pleading look in her eyes for Mark to come to his senses and realise how ridiculous he was being.

But Mark never answered her, instead he silently stepped towards her and pushed Callie's hand away from the elevator door which instantly closed on her.

In that moment Callie was flooded with a wave of disappointment not only at Mark but _for _Mark; Callie truly believed that this time would be different, because this time Mark had finally gotten it right. Callie silently rested her forehead against the cool metal of the elevator doors, hoping that the coldness of it would ease away some of the tension she could feel building up in her head. Callie started to wrack her brain, trying to figure out a way to help fix this for Mark before he did any real damage _without_ going to Lexie and it was at that moment that it dawned on her..._Shepherd, _and Callie sped off in search of their resident Neurosurgeon.


	5. Chapter 5

**Please keep the reviews coming, I really enjoy reading them and they really motivate me to write the next chapter, so keep them coming.**

**************

**Chapter 5**

"Okay Mr. Reynolds I need to replace your IV drip before we take you up to theatre" Lexie explained as she began to remove the syringe that was already lodged into his arm.

"I should be use to being poked and prodded by now" Reynolds commented with an insincere laugh.

Lexie's hands froze as they hovered over Mr. Reynolds' right wrist with a serious look written all over her face. Lexie hesitated for a second or two because she wasn't really sure whether it was her place or not to ask the question. But Lexie had learnt over the years that sometimes it was a hell of a lot easier talking to a complete stranger than it was to talk to the people you love. "Mr. Reynolds I know that this isn't really any of my business" Lexie stumbled as she went back to concentrating on inserting the new IV drip.

"But I was wondering whether or not you have some sort of support network…to help you once the surgery's been completed", Lexie swore she had felt the mans skin turn cold at that moment but she couldn't say for certain whether it was because of her question or because of the needle piercing his skin. "I'm only asking because…whether or not the surgery's a success you're going to need someone, you're going to need someone to help you through all of this", Lexie attached the IV drip then walked over to the disposable bin to dispose of her gloves and the used IV syringe.

For those few seconds Reynolds was completely quiet and that had Lexie concerned, "Mr. Reynolds…"

"You like to talk a lot don't you?" Reynolds asked in a rather bitter tone as he concentrated on a patch of the ceiling in his room.

"I've been told that I'm a talker, that I have this tendency to ramble when I get nervous or ask inappropriate questions…and now I'm doing it again, _shut up Lexie_" Lexie uttered the latter part to herself but it was loud enough for Reynolds to hear.

"Talking to yourself huh, you know I hear that there are some doctors around here for that sort of stuff" Reynolds ribbed; his mood seemed to lighten towards Lexie over the span of a few seconds.

Lexie couldn't help but laugh at that, trying to comfort herself with the fact that the patient wasn't overly upset.

An awkward silence took over the room for a second and Lexie decided that it was probably best that she left things alone for now; after all they could deal with the rest after they handled the surgery. Mark always did keep telling Lexie that she needed to pace herself; the 'one step at a time' sort of thing and she couldn't help but laugh as she could hear Mark in her head repeating those exact words crystal clear. "Well I'll be back in a little while to take you down to the O.R. Mr. Reynolds".

Just as Lexie was about to cross the threshold of the room Mr. Reynolds' voice stopped her in her tracks. "I had a life…" he repeated again ever so softly, afraid to say the words in case it would shatter the fragile world that had once been created.

Lexie took that as a sign that the he wanted to talk…that he _needed _to talk. So Lexie quickly dragged the empty chair closer to the patient's bed and sat their in complete silence waiting for whenever he was ready. The silence quickly turned into an awkward pause, Lexie wasn't sure whether it was because Mr. Reynolds really had nothing else to say or whether he didn't know where to start. Lexie thought that a gentle push wouldn't hurt,

"I had a life once too…then my mother died of the hiccups, the freakin hiccups…I hate the hiccups. Then all of the sudden everything I had planned for my life went to hell and back. I had to move back home and take care of a drunk for a father, had to deal with a sister who despises me day in an day out because she has _daddy issues_ and blames _me _for the fact that our father walked out on her _eight_ _years _before I even existed" Lexie took a deep breath before going on.

"And on top of all of that I have to make sure that my baby sister who lives in another state which might as well be another country as far as I'm concerned still believes that _life is just peachy_", Lexie took another deep breath after letting that all out in one fell swoop and suddenly became quite interested in her hands as the embarrassment of what she had just done took over her. "I had a life once too, then the stupid hiccups came along…I _hate _the hiccups".

"You said that already" Reynolds stated with a half laugh, he wasn't laughing that Lexie was hurting, no what he was laughing about was the fact that there was someone else. Someone else who knew what it felt like to have your entire life planned out one morning only for all of it to go up in smoke the next. "I had a life, I had a wife and a house and a dog…we were even going to start trying for a baby and then bam, some drunken idiot hits me with his car".

Lexie had to close her eyes at his words because it was her biggest fear, that one day a patient would be wheeled into triage only to learn that her father was the cause of the accident. Lexie hated it when Thatcher decided that he was ok to drive after he had been drinking for hours but arguing with him wasn't a pleasing option either. "I wasn't aware that you had a wife…if you'd like we could have her…"

"Don't bother, we're divorced" Reynolds explained in a matter of fact tone, as though divorcing your husband in one of the most toughest times in his life was the most natural thing in the world. Reynolds may not have been able to see anything but the ceiling of his room but he didn't need eyes to know that Lexie was sitting in her chair with a frown on her face, secretly scolding his ex-wife. "Don't blame her; I was the one who filed for the divorce".

Reynolds' admission threw Lexie off guard; she couldn't wrap her head around the fact that he would push away the people he loved when he'd need them the most. "But…" Lexie started to say when she was cut off by Reynolds.

"She married a strong, healthy, independent man, not some…some cripple who'd depend on her for the rest of his life. She deserves to be happy, to be free and that's what I did. I set her free, she'd never leave me out some sense of obligation and we'd only end up resenting each other…so I set her free".

Lexie sprang from her seat as anger began to consume her, "and who gave you that right?"

"Excuse me" Reynolds asked with a confused look on his face.

"You had no right to make that decision for her" Lexie explained as she made her way over to the bed and griped the bars so tight that her knuckles were beginning to turn white. "That was her decision to make and hers alone, yeah she would have stuck by you, but she would have stuck by you because that's what it means to be in a relationship…to see each other through all the good _and _bad stuff. That's why they say _for better or worse…_"

Reynolds scoffed at Lexie's comment, "you don't actually believe that do you?"

"Yes I do, I believe that if you love a person that much that helping them through the hard times shouldn't have to be a chore, it shouldn't have to be an obligation…it's just something you _do_ because they're the people you love" Lexie explained, although this was only fuelling her anger because she was really getting sick and tired of people making decisions for other people's lives.

"Do you wanna know another thing that I believe Mr. Reynolds?" Lexie asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Reynolds looked at Lexie out of the corner of his eye with trepidation because he wasn't really sure he wanted to hear it. "You didn't do it for her, you did for _you_. You pushed her away and filed for divorce, not because you wanted to spare her all the pain…you did it because if she stuck around then you'd have no excuse. You'd have no reason to continue wallowing in this self-pity party you've got going on and every reason to actually fight…"

"Dr. Grey you're done here!" Reid yelled out from the doorway.

Lexie quickly spun on her heels to look her attending in the eye, who by the way didn't look pleased one little bit. "I was just…"

"I know what you were just, and you're done here so why don't you go and find out if O.R. 3 is ready for us or not" Reid ordered as he made his way further into the room.

Lexie sheepishly nodded her head and made her way out of the room with her head down the entire time.

After watching Lexie leave the room Reid turned his attention back to his patient, "Mr. Reynolds I'm so sorry for whatever Dr…"

"Don't bother, there's nothing to apologise for honestly. Dr. Grey was only telling me the truth; it's been awhile since someone's done that".

Reid stood there with a confused look on his face, but quickly decided that what ever had just gone on between Lexie and the patient was best left between them. "Alright then, we'll be back shortly to take you down and then hopefully we'll have you back on your feet in no time" Reid offered as he patted Reynolds on the shoulder and then made his way out the door.

As Reid walked out into the hallway he was forced to a complete stop as he collided into something solid.

"Dame fools; nobody watches where they're going around here. It's a dame _hospital_, we're supposed to fix accidents not _cause _them" Miranda Bailey spat out in a bother as she bent down to collect the papers that had spilt all over the place when Reid crashed into her.

Reid quickly bent down as well to help collect the papers but he was too slow for Miranda Bailey as she was already coming back up with the rest of the papers in her hand. "Sorry Miranda" Reid offered as he held out the only piece of paper he had managed to collect.

Miranda snatched the piece of paper out of his hand so ardently that it made Reid jump, while trying to shuffle her papers back in order Miranda continued to shake her head. "That's Bailey…Dr. Bailey"

Reid was now confused by the short little woman's comment, "excuse me, I thought that Miranda was your name".

"It is" Bailey snapped at the man that she obviously didn't have time for, "It's Miranda to the people I work with and more importantly to the people I _like" _Bailey explained as she pulled the stack of papers close to her chest to protect them from anybody else. Bailey pointed at the man standing before her, "and I don't work with you, and I sure as hell _don't _like you, so it's_ Dr. Bailey _to you!" Bailey looked Reid up and down a couple of times as she shook her head again "no sirie I don't like you one little bit".

"Duly noted" Reid replied with an awkward smile on his face and nodded his head at the general surgeon. "Any chance you've seen Dr. Grey?"

Bailey rolled her eyes as she looked up at the ceiling, "damn Attendings can't keep control of their damn interns, what do I look like to you…a babysitter. How the hell should I know where _your _intern is?" Miranda barked as she side stepped the man and continued down the hallway.

Reid turned on his heel, "Dr. Bailey…"

Bailey held her hand up as she continued to walk down the hall with her back to him as she yelled out "find your own damn intern".

Reid shook his head in disbelief that this hospital managed to even function long enough in order to save lives. Reid decided to turn his attention to something more important than the hospital it self and went in search of Lexie.

***********************

Callie was now officially losing it; she had turned the hospital upside down in search of Derek. Hoping and preying that Derek would know how to handle Mark, because as far as Callie was concerned she was in unknown Mark Sloan territory right now. But still nothing, so Callie finally decided to call defeat and stomped over to the nurse's station, "Grey! Where's Shepherd?" Callie asked Meredith with a look on her face that clearly said she wasn't in the mood for games.

Meredith had a confused look on her face, "how should I know?" she asked as she went back to finishing her chart.

Callie reached out and snatched the chart out of Meredith's hands, "because you are engaged to the man, you're marrying him…ergo _you_ should know where he is, that's what _normal _engaged people do. The other Grey does, she always seems to know where Mark is before anybody else does…that's why I've even given up paging him, now I just page little Grey and hey presto. So why can't you pull off the same little magic act as your sister".

Alex pointed at Callie with the apple he had just taken a bit out of as he placed his feet up on the desk and leant into the chair, "that's not a magic act…it's called _stalking"_, Alex couldn't help but laugh at his own joke.

Callie shook her head in disbelief, "what do we keep you Resident's around for…decoration" Callie exclaimed as she shoved the chart into Meredith's chest, "If you find Shepherd page me" Callie ordered as she stormed off to resume her search again.

Meredith placed the chart back onto the bench and gave Alex a confused look, "what's the matter with her?"

"She need's to get laid" Alex offered as he took another bit into his apple.

Meredith shook her head as she laughed at Alex's behaviour.

***************

Callie couldn't quite put her finger on it but she kept getting this nagging feeling that she needed to go past Marks office again, so for her own sake she did just that, but the moment that Callie did she really wished that she hadn't. At first it seemed innocent; it looked like two adult doctors discussing something in private. However in a split second both Lexie and Reid looked like they were growing frustrated with one another with the yelling and what not, Callie would have killed to be a fly on the wall…or maybe not as the next thing she witnessed sent her in a head spin. Reid quickly and without any warning grabbed Lexie by the arms and forced her into a kiss and that had Callie fuming, however her anger was slightly eased by the fact that the minute Reid's lips made contact with Lexie's she pushed the Neurosurgeon off of her and slapped him hard across the face, Callie couldn't help but hope like hell that it hurt.

Callie quickly scanned the area of Mark's office hoping that nobody else had witnessed what Callie had just seen because the last thing she wanted was for Mark to find out about this through hospital gossip. Callie stormed into Mark's office with her jaw clenched so tight that the muscles around her face began to ache.

Lexie quickly jumped back, "Dr. Torres…"

"Get out know!" Callie ordered through gritted teeth.

Lexie began to make her way past the Ortho when Callie grabbed Lexie by her upper arm, "not you" Callie explained as she looked from Lexie to Reid "YOU".

Lexie gave Reid a pleading look to please just leave the room before he made this any worse, and for the first time in the entire day Reid actually did something other than hurt Lexie.

As Lexie watched Reid walk out the door she could feel the grip on her upper arm loosen a bit, and then as the door was closed shut she turned around to face Callie, in that instant Lexie thought she was going to be sick.

Callie was standing as straight as a post with her jaw clenched tight and her arms folded across her chest with a look that was a cross between utter disappointment and utter fury. Lexie knew that she had a hell of a lot of explaining to do.


	6. Chapter 6

**Please keep the reviews coming, I really enjoy reading them and they really motivate me to write the next chapter, so keep them coming.**

**************

**Chapter 6**

"Ok so I know that looked really bad…" Lexie started to say when she saw the _you think_ look written all across Callie's face. "Ok really, really, really bad but I swear on my life Call…Dr. Torres, that in no uncertain terms did I give Jack…Dr. Reid the impression that I wanted him to do that and more importantly if you noticed which I'm assuming you did I pushed him off straight away…then slapped him" Lexie whispered the latter part while rambling, though not quite sure that Callie understood a word she had said.

As Lexie was about to say something else Callie held her hand up to stop her and slowly yet confidently walked up to Lexie with a blank look masking her face, she side stepped the intern for a second so that she could close the blinds to the office so that no one would see them. Once Callie was sure the coast was clear she turned back towards Lexie and the two were standing so close together that Lexie could practically hear her breathing. "_Dr. Grey"_ Callie strained to emphasise the point that at this very moment she was going to try her hardest to act professional. "You are going to do two things this very second, 1" Callie ordered as she held up her index finger "you are going to find Dr. Bailey and tell her that you need to be reassigned from Dr. Reid's services via order from me. 2" Callie went on to hold out her second finger, "you are going to find Mark and you are going to explain to him what little creep boy wonder did _and _you are going to tell him _everything_".

Lexie was about to protest when Callie made an aha sound and held up her hand "this is not up for debate, do you understand me? The only thing that concerns me this right very minute is that Mark isn't humiliated in front of the entire hospital when boy wonder decides to brag to the rest of the hospital about something that didn't even happen".

Lexie silently nodded her head; she knew that Callie was right…after all that was how Jackson worked. But she hated the idea of telling Mark because it meant seeing that absolutely gutted look he had had on his face after his fight with Derek.

Callie took a step back from Lexie and finally took in Lexie's own appearance, and in that instant Callie felt even crappier then she did a second ago. The whole time she had been concerned about Mark she didn't even stop to consider what this was doing to little Grey. Callie let out a huge sigh in defeat, "use me".

"Excuse me" Lexie asked, slightly baffled by Callie's announcement.

"Use me as practice…practice what you're going to say to Mark to me" Callie explained as she made her way over to the big plush couch that Mark had in his office.

Just as Lexie was about say something Callie saw out of the corner of her that the door was beginning to open so she sprung from the couch and pushed her back against the door. "What the hell" the two women could hear coming from the other side of the door which was clearly Mark's voice.

"Go away" Callie ordered to Mark while her back was still pressed up against the door.

"Torres?" Mark asked quizzically.

"Yeah, now go away"

"No, now open the damn door" Mark barked this time while trying to push the door open again but was only met with resistance.

"I can't" Callie called out; she really didn't have anything else to offer. She didn't want to let Mark into his office because she knew that warning bells would going off inside Mark's head the minute he saw his girlfriend and best friend both hauled up in the same room, especially after his little plea earlier before.

"Why the hell not?" both women heard Mark ask, they could both also hear the growing agitation in his voice.

"Uhh, because….because" Callie stuttered as she looked around the room for an excuse. Callie turned to Lexie hoping that the woman who was sleeping with said owner of the office would be able to come up with something, but Lexie just shrugged her shoulders. "Because I'm naked" Callie yelled out as she closed her eyes preying that Mark would just walk away.

"WHAT!" both Mark and Lexie yelled out at the same time, luckily for the women Mark was still caught up on Callie's comment to have recognised Lexie's voice. Callie on the other hand gave Lexie a glare to shut the hell up. "Why in the hell are you naked inside _my _office? I don't need those pesky, annoying nurses finding out then running off to Lexie and gloating that the man whore was coming back out of the box. Because he is not, the man whore is staying _inside _the box. So put some clothes back on and get the hell out of there now…or I'm coming in there!"

Callie gave Lexie a horrified look, and Lexie on the other hand didn't even think before opening her mouth, "she can't". That only got her a _I'm gonna kill you _look in that instant from Callie and she quickly cringed as she realised what she just did.

"Was that Lexie?" Mark asked as he began to push on the door again.

"No! It was…it was Arizona" Callie yelled out, then began muttering "I'm going to hell; I am _so _going to hell".

Lexie let out a small giggle which only fueled Callie's annoyance even more, however it seemed that yelling out Arizona's name seemed to do the trick as Mark conceited defeat and backed down. "Fine, just don't do anything on that couch…it's a clean couch and I want it to stay that way", Mark then walked away from his office and over to the nearest nurses station to work on his charts.

**********

Callie let out a sight of relief when Mark finally walked away, she couldn't help but look at the couch in question, "he expects _me _to believe that that is a clean couch".

Lexie looked at the couch and then back at Callie with a disbelieving look on her face, "believe it or not Mark and I aren't a pair of rabbits that just do it anywhere, we can _control_ ourselves. Besides Mark made a no hospital sex rule after the whole penile fracture debacle" Lexie added defensively.

*********

Mark was still at the nurse's station working on his chart when Arizona Robbins made her way over and handed a chart to the nurse currently there. Arizona then turned her attention towards Mark. "Dr. Sloan" Arizona greeted with a nod of her head to be polite, she knew that Mark was an important person in Callie's life so she was determined to make an effort.

"Dr. Robbins" Mark replied while still engrossed in his charts, suddenly Mark popped his head back up and yelled out to the Ped's Surgeon that was walking away, "wait, aren't you suppose to be in my office?" Mark asked questioningly as he placed his pen back into his lab coat and made his way over to Arizona.

Arizona on the other hand gave Mark a questioning look, "why would I be in _your _office?"

"I don't know you tell me" Mark retorted while crossing his arms over his chest. "Torres said that she was in there with _you_".

"Why would I be inside _your _office with Dr. Torres" Arizona questioned back with a sceptic look on her face.

Mark pondered that same thought for a second before a light went off in his head, "I smell a rat…a big fat smelly rat that goes by the name of Calliope".

While Arizona had been warned about the eccentricities of some of the Attendings around here she really wasn't in the mood for it at this very moment, no matter how much she wanted to score brownie points with Callie. Arizona took a tiny step forward and gave Mark a small pat on his upper arm, "good…good for you" she offered with caution as to whether that was the right thing to say and walked away. As she walked away she couldn't help but look back at Mark who was now talking to himself as he returned to the nurse's station, and that Arizona couldn't help but laugh at.

**********

"Tell him!" Callie exclaimed once again and quickly stuck her head out of the door to make sure that the coast was clear of Mark before leaving. When Callie was sure that Mark was nowhere around to see Lexie leave the room with her Callie opened the door completely and stepped aside. "Go, go, go" Callie repeated quite anxiously at Lexie for her to make a quick escape.

It seemed that timing was on her side because the second she saw Lexie turn the corner of the hallway Mark reappeared with an unamused look on her face, "Torres?"

Callie let out an awkward laugh, "Mark…" she offered as she began to make her way down the hall.

Mark quickly jogged to catch up to Callie and began walking at the Ortho's pace, "so I just saw something interest"

Callie let out a forced smile, "good for you" she replied as she continued walking towards the elevator.

"Yeah, I was at the nurses station working on my charts because, well somebody else had decided to occupy my office. Now I was minding my own business, doing my work, then suddenly you wouldn't believe who shows up? None other than Dr. Robbins" Mark explained in a triumphant tone in his voice, thinking that he had the upper hand on this one.

Callie let out a laugh but before she could say anything Mark cut her off, "yeah it is funny isn't it…especially when she was supposed to be all naked and what not inside _my _office with you like two seconds before that".

Callie stopped dead in her tracks and hated to do this but decided to take on the guilt trip approach. "Did it ever occur to you Mark that she was embarrassed, that she didn't want you knowing absolutely _everything_ about our private lives? How would you like it if another Attending walked in on you and Lexie all naked and sweaty….I'm pretty certain you wouldn't be too thrilled about Hunt or Karev coping a look at a naked little Grey".

It seemed to do the trick because in that instant Mark let out a sigh in defeat and did the one thing that Callie absolutely did not and could not handle him doing, he apologised. Mark rubbed his eyes in irritation and looked Callie in the eyes, "I'm sorry for being such a jerk".

Callie hated the fact that she had to make Mark feel all guilty and stuff but another part of her couldn't help but smile at how much Mark had changed. Even if Mark wasn't ready to admit it Lexie was good for him both personally and professionally. Callie nodded her head in understanding and quickly stepped onto the elevator before Mark asked her anymore questions or she blabbed on her own free will.


	7. Chapter 7

**Please keep the reviews coming, I really enjoy reading them and they really motivate me to write the next chapter, so keep them coming.**

**************

**Chapter 7**

"Seriously?" Callie asked as she threw her hands up in the air in exasperation at the man sitting before her.

Derek looked up from where he was sitting on the floor and gave Callie the _not know _look, a look that seemed to be very prominent on Derek's face lately.

"Seriously" Callie stated more as a matter of fact than rather as a question as she sat down beside Derek and rested her elbows against her knees. Callie leant her head against the cool concrete of the room and closed her eyes for a second so that her head would stop spinning. "Seriously…I've been looking for you all over this hospital and you've been hiding in the O.R. gallery this whole time, seriously".

"If you say seriously one more time…" Derek stated while playing with his surgical cap in his hands.

Callie knew that Derek was making an empty threat because right now she was one of the very few people he had left and even though she knew that Derek wasn't willin to admit it, but by beings friends with Callie Derek was still able to stay connected to Mark in some dark and twisty way. "Seriously" Callie mocked one last time while she jabbed Derek in the ribs with her elbow.

Derek let out a little laugh, it was good laugh, he had forgotten what it wad like because lately he hadn't of had a hell of a lot to laugh about. "I just needed some space and I was afraid that if I went up to the woods again then Bailey would send the ground troop after me".

Callie had to laugh at that as she remembered Bailey's failed attempt and luring Derek back to civilisation. "Yeah that didn't go exactly as Bailey had planned".

"Did you need a consult?" Derek asked, curiosity finally getting the better of him.

Callie snorted as she rolled her eyes over in Derek's direction while still resting her head against the wall. "I guess you could say that…it's more of a Mark Sloan consult sort of thing".

Derek gave Callie a confused look, "what…" he asked because he really wasn't sure how to put it any other way.

"Remember when I told you that Mark was a virgin when it came to relationships, and that he'd need you to make sure that he doesn't screw this up?" Callie asked as she looked at Derek, when he nodded to her question she carried on. "Well I wasn't kidding...the man is convinced that there is something going on with little Grey and that Reid guy so he asked me to _spy _on them…to spy on the them Derek, to see if they…no, to see if _he _was behaving himself".

"Oh please" Derek called out with a bit of a laugh while he had a disbelieving look on his face.

"Do I _look _like I'm joking to you; oh and by the way he was right. While I was looking for you I caught them arguing inside Mark's office and _bam_ all of the sudden he has her in a lip lock…" Callie was explaining when Derek held his hand up.

"Wait a minute, Lexie kissed him…Lexie Grey cheated on Mark Sloan?" Derek asked, his look of disbelief was quickly replaced by anger at the fact that Mark was about to get hurt.

Callie couldn't help but do a little happy dance on the inside because while the situation sucked this more than proved that Derek still cared about Mark and that there was hope yet for things going back to normal. "She didn't cheat" Callie came to Lexie's defense, "the minute he kissed her she pushed him off and slapped him, _hard_. Then I told her that she had to tell Mark before boy scout did, so I'm hoping that that's what she's doing right now and I need you to go find Mark and make sure that he doesn't do anything stupid…and I mean _really stupid_…if you get my drift" Callie replied with a pleading look on her face for Derek to just let go of all this stupid animosity and be friends again.

Derek quickly shook his head, while he hated the fact that Mark was about to get hurt he wasn't at that place yet where he could come to the man's defense. "I can't…I'm sorry" Derek offered as he rose to his feet.

Callie quickly jumped up on her feet a few seconds after Derek, "come one!" Callie yelled out as she looked up at the ceiling. She then looked back down at Derek, "what's it going to take? Seriously, what it's going to take for you to care again? What are you waiting for; some great epiphany…or maybe you're waiting for Mark to be on his last breath before you're even willing…."

Derek quickly cut Callie off, becoming increasingly pissed off at the woman standing before him. "You know what you're spending far too much time around Yang because right now you are being way over dramatic".

Callie scoffed at Derek's comment, "_me _being over dramatic!" Callie waved her arms around the gallery, "ah excuse me but who the hell was the one who went hiding up in the woods when one of his patients died? Who the hell was the one _hiding _in the freakin gallery of an O.R. because his not _ready yet_?" Callie scoffed again, "yeah your right Derek, I really am the one being over dramatic here, oh by the way I think you're spending too much time with Meredith because you're becoming all dark and twisty just like her". Callie let out a sigh of defeat, realising that maybe Mark and Derek were a lost cause and she needed to just cut her losses. "You know what forget I said anything, forget that this conversation ever happened…better yet do us all a favour and get over yourself" Callie ordered and then stormed out of the gallery all in a fury. Leaving Derek standing there by himself, another thing that had became quite frequent over the last few weeks.

*************

"Mark!" Lexie called out as she swung the door open to the on-call room so quickly that it banged into the wall.

Mark sprang up from the bed and closed his eyes shut for a second as he placed his hand over his chest, hoping that it would slow down his rapid heart rate. "Little Grey someone better be dying or you better be in desperate need of sex, because I can't think of any other possible reason why you'd give me a heart attack like that".

Lexie closed the door behind her then made her way over to Mark and stood in front of him, "nobody's dying…" Lexie explained. But before she could finish her sentence Mark reached out for her scrub pants.

"Sex it is then" Mark said with a huge smirk on his face.

Lexie shook her head in disbelief and swatted Mark's hand away; she then sat down beside him on the bed. She couldn't help but laugh at the look of disappointment on Mark's face "I thought you said no more hospital sex?"

Mark shrugged his shoulders as he stretched his arms to work out the kinks in his neck, sleeping in an on-call bed wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world. "Man has a right to change his mind" Mark offered with a sly smile on his face then leant in to capture her lips before she could say anything.

Lexie snaked her arms around Mark's neck as she let herself get caught up in the moment, she could always feel her self lose all sense of self-control every time Mark did that and she knew that he knew that. Unfortunately for Lexie a moment of pure bliss turned into pure agony as she recalled why she was in here in the first place. Lexie let out a low moan as Mark bit her bottom lip; he was playing evil now because she knew for a fact that he knew what doing that did to her. Lexie wasn't sure how but she did manage to find the will to push Mark away from her, the look on his face almost made Lexie want to pull him back in but she reminded herself that she needed to stay strong.

Lexie took a deep breath to try and steel her nerves for what was abut to occur as she looked Mark straight in the face. "Actually I need to talk to you about Dr. Reid…he kissed me" Lexie blurted out, hoping that if she treated it like ripping off a bandaid then they could deal with this quickly and swiftly.

In that instant Lexie could have sworn that Mark's face turned pale white at the sound of Reid's name, but it was the change in his demeanour after the latter part of Lexie's comment that had her worried. Mark rose from his spot on the bed and began pacing the room, he was beginning to fell like a caged animal and he didn't really know what to do about it.

They both remained in complete silence as Mark continued to pace up and down the room and Lexie couldn't take it anymore, "can you stop doing that" she asked.

Despite the fact that Mark had his back to her Lexie could sense every muscle in Mark's entire body tense up at her question. Mark slowly turned around with a steel look on his face and folded his arms across his chest. "You're giving me orders, your giving _me _orders after what you just did"

Lexie sprung up from the bed with her hands on her hips at Mark's comment, "what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I absolve you, I mean that's the whole reason you're telling me this right? So that you can get over your guilt" Mark spat out, he knew that he may have sounded rather vicious but at that moment he really had no control over his emotions.

"Mark…" Lexie whispered out dejectedly, she wasn't expecting Mark to take the news well but she sure as hell wasn't expecting this. Just as she was about to go on with her comment the sound of a pager had gone off. Mark looked down at his as he registered it and then back up at Lexie, without even saying a word Mark began to walk towards the door. "Mark please don't walk away" Lexie pleaded with him as she tried to control the tears from spilling out. Lexie then cringed at the look on Mark's face; she was terrified that she was slowly losing him.

"I set you free little Grey" Mark responded as he threw his arms in the air, "I set you free to go find some other Attending to sucker in, I'm pretty sure you were getting tired with this one anyway" and with that comment Mark slammed the door shut on Lexie.


	8. Chapter 8

**Please keep the reviews coming, and thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story. I really enjoy reading them and they really motivate me to write the next chapter, so keep them coming!!**

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**Chapter 8**

Mark didn't really know what to do with himself, he had never felt like this before and unfortunately for him the 9-1-1 that he had been paged to wasn't anything serious enough to distract him. Mark couldn't explain it because this was all so new to him, Mark could officially say that he now knew how all those woman he had treated so badly felt. He also knew that he had probably over-reacted when Lexie told him what had happened by breaking up with her but he just couldn't deal with it…hard as he tried he couldn't stop picturing that SOB putting his hands all over Lexie or her lips going anywhere near his, Mark was the _only one _who had any right to go near those lips. Mark felt like someone had punched him in the gut…_no_ Mark corrected himself as he shook his head. At this very moment Mark felt worse than being punched in the gut…it felt like déjà vu all over again, it felt like Addison all over again.

As Mark was walking down the halls of Seattle Grace he froze as he spotted what he now considered to be his worst nightmare. There he was, resting against a vending machine and flirting shamelessly with one of those 'pathetic interns'…._Graziella or something like that _Mark thought to himself. But Mark's moment of deep contemplation came to a screeching halt as he witnessed Reid run his index finger down the side of Graziella's cheek as she giggled at the man. He was standing there like he didn't have a care in the world, like he hadn't just tried to destroy another woman's relationship. And it was at that moment something snapped in side of Mark and he lost all sense of control.

Marching over towards the Neurosurgeon Mark swung at the man so hard that Reid stumbled a few feet back before falling onto the floor. Mark towered over Reid with a ferocious look on his face, "you think this is some sort of game?" Mark asked.

Reid held his hands up in defense to try and stop Mark from attacking him any further, unfortunately for him the minute he opened his mouth to say something he felt Mark's solid fist connect with his cheekbone another three more times before Mark stepped away from him. "Stay the hell away from her or I swear to god you'll wish you never laid eyes on her!" Mark yelled as he stormed off past the few interns who had beared witness to the fight, if you could even call it that.

**************

Lexie took a deep breath as she casually walked up to Derek Shepherd who was so engrossed with the CT- scans that were currently in front of him that he didn't even notice her. The words "Dr. Shepherd" came out of Lexie's voice rather hoarsely as she tried to gain his attention, Lexie wasn't so sure why she was nervous...but maybe it had something to do with the fact that she hadn't spoken to the man in more than four weeks, ever since Mark had told him about them. Lexie soon realised that Derek hadn't heard her at all, so after taking a deep breath Lexie forced the words out of her mouth rather boisterously "Dr. Shepherd!"

Derek quickly turned on his heel at the sound of his name being called out and was rather surprised at who the voice belonged to, after all they hadn't spoken in weeks. "Dr. Grey" Derek greeted Lexie with a nod of his head then turned his attention back to the CT-scans while folding his arms across his chest in a defensive stance, almost as though he was trying to protect himself from Lexie.

The two were now standing side by side as Lexie shifted her attention from Derek to the aneurism that was prominent on the patient's scans, without taking her eyes off of it Lexie voiced the reason behind her presence. "Dr. Bailey has re-assigned me to your services for the day Dr. Shepherd. Is there anything I can do?"

_Is there anything I can do?_

To an outsider it would have looked like Derek was heavily engrossed in the scans in front of him, but instead Derek kept playing those words over and over again inside his head, _Is there anything I can do ?_ Derek let out a sigh of defeat, he knew that he had no right to say anything; he knew that as of four weeks ago he lost any right he had to have concerns about all of this. But Derek also knew that he couldn't just stand by and do nothing...even if Mark wouldn't see it that way, so while continuing to stare straight ahead he whispered "don't hurt him".

Lexie was sure that she had misheard Derek because she could have sworn that Derek just told her not to hurt him, him who? Mark or Jackson...who the hell was Derek talking about? Lexie wanted to believe that Derek was referring to Mark; she wanted to believe that Mark had gone to Derek, she wanted to believe that in some screwed up and twisted way the two of them had managed to sort out their differences because of this stupid misunderstanding. After all that's what all of this was...just a simple misunderstanding, and after giving Mark a few hours to cool down Lexie would go back and talk to him, they'd sort this all out and by tomorrow morning the two of them would be laughing about all of this.

Derek finally managed to pull himself away from the CT-scans and looked in Lexie's direction after she had yet to respond to his comment. Derek wasn't sure whether to be worried for Mark or for Lexie; all of this was turning into a real mess. "Dr Gre...Lexie" Derek called out as he shifted his position so that his entire body was now completely facing Lexie, "swear to me that you're going to make this right? Swear to me that you're not going to hurt him?" Derek re-iterated again.

Lexie let out a groan in irritation and pinched the bridge of her nose in a useless attempt to try and stop the headache she could feel coming on. "Don't the people in this hospital have anything better to do than to gossip about the personal lives of certain Surgeons?"

"I'm not asking because I want be a part of the hospital rumour mill, believe me I've been there and done that, I'm asking because I'm worried about him...I'm asking as a friend" Derek asked rather defensively.

Lexie also now turned towards Derek so that the two were standing toe to toe, "Well I'm sorry _Dr. Shepherd, _but I was under the impression that you didn't care anymore about what happens to Mark".

Derek hastily shook his head at the intern while his face showed a level of disbelief that Lexie had never seen on the man before. Derek reached out to collect the scans and then passed them on to Lexie, "Mrs. Lyons needs to be prepped for surgery" Derek ordered and then began to walk away, leaving Lexie standing there all alone and speechless, for the second time that day.

Yet it seemed that Derek had second thoughts because at that moment he froze in his spot and turned back to Lexie, "Lexie just because we aren't speaking doesn't mean that I don't care anymore, where Mark's concerned I'm always going to care....he is my brother", Derek then proceeded to walk away from her.

"So talk to him already!" Lexie yelled out to him as she threw her hands up into the air in exasperation as she watched him step onto the elevator.

"Pathetic" Lexie uttered out loud to no one in particular, only in fact there was someone who had heard Lexie's exasperation along with the latter half of her conversation with Derek.

"Morons" Callie replied to Lexie as she stood beside her and mimicked Lexie's stance with her arms folded across her chest.

The two looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh at the pure stupidity that is Mark Sloan and Derek Shepherd.

**************

Richard Webber was the Chief of Seattle Grace Hospital; and it was good to be the Chief, but at times like this, at times were he felt like he was about explode, at times were surgeon's decided to do their own damn thing…being the Chief was _not _a good thing.

"I am the Chief! I am the Chief people! I am the Chief" Richard exclaimed as he made his way over to Dr. Bailey who was sitting at nurse's station. "I am..."

"We got it! You're the Chief...Chief!" Bailey stated as she mimicked Richard's outcry in an attempt to stop him from going any further, and once she was sure that she had put an end to it she then went back to concentrating on her paperwork.

"I am the Chief of this hospital" Richard exclaimed again while pointing his index finger down on to the bench of the nurse's station. Bailey on the other hand rolled her eyes as she let out a sigh of disbelief while throwing her pen into the air only to watch it land with a thud on top of her charts. "The Chief of a number _twelve Hospital_ and I've finally figured out why. This isn't a Hospital, this is a damn zoo! I've got doctors fighting each other all over the place and doctors running out into the woods, while other doctors are walking out left right and centre. This isn't a Hospital, it's a damn zoo!"

Miranda listened to every word that Richard had to say rather intently but she couldn't stop herself from letting out a sneer at Richard referring to the hospital as a zoo. Miranda also felt a bit of pride in the fact that the man was finally catching on, "It's not a zoo...more like a day-care centre for a bunch of doctors acting like hormonal teenagers" Miranda commented more to herself, however she was over heard by the Chief who simply chose to glare at her. Miranda's smirk was quickly wiped off her face and she dropped her head down as quick as possible in the hopes that the Chief would leave her be...just leave her be, that's all Miranda ever really wanted. To be left alone so that she could treat her patients in peace and quiet, but in the Chief's own words...you can't find peace inside a zoo.

"Dr. Bailey I need you to cancel all of Dr. Sloan's surgeries for the rest of the day and have them rescheduled as soon as possible" Richard ordered as he let out an exhausted sigh, he couldn't help but think that he was getting too old for this.

"Ah...Chief?" Bailey asked with a questioning look on her face as she looked up at Richard.

"He walked out!" Richard snapped at Dr. Bailey as he could sense that he was slowly reaching his breaking point when it came to his surgeons. Richard then turned on his heel and walked away, giving Bailey no further explanation to his comment. But Miranda Bailey did manage to catch the Chief muttering to himself as he walked away, and she could hear every single word of it. "Damn doctors walking out of _my _O.R._"_

**************

Word on the altercation between Mark and Reid had spread around the hospital in record time and Lexie wasn't sure that she could handle it right now. She wasn't in any way, shape or form willing to have to deal with her fellow interns asking all of those annoying million and one questions...she wasn't ready to explain the fact that her boyfriend beat up a fellow Attending because of her. So Lexie decided to do the next best thing besides running, because right now running from the hospital wasn't an option. If Lexie was going to prove to Mark that she was serious about this...about them, then she needed to stick it out and prove to Mark that she was ready and willing to ride out all the bad stuff if it mean being with him. So hiding was her only option right about now, _Derek's surgery's been pushed back because Dr. Hunt had a trauma come in that needed surgery immediately...so it wasn't like anybody was going to miss me_, Lexie thought to herself as she paced up and down the hallway of the Oncology floor.

"Lexie…" Izzie called out suspiciously from her hospital bed as she noticed the intern pacing up and down outside her door.

Lexie stuck her head inside Izzie's room, acting as though she was quite surprised to find the young blond in here. "Hey Dr. Stevens, how are you?" Lexie asked as she let herself into the room. Lexie cringed for asking that question "_idiot, _who the hell asks someone who has cancer how they are…_you're an idiot Lexie"_

Izzie laughed at the way Lexie was behaving because it was refreshing, it was refreshing to have someone walk into her room and not treat her like she had a sign on her head that said _fragile, handle with care_. "Come on sit down…talk to me" Izzie offered, pointing to the empty chair beside her.

"No I shouldn't…" Lexie started to protest but Izzie cut her off.

"Please", that was the only word that Izzie had for Lexie and there was an air of desperation behind it and Lexie just couldn't ignore it.

She made her way over, only instead of sitting in the empty chair Lexie sat herself down at the end of Izzie's bed and reached out to give her hand a tight squeeze. And that was the undoing of Izzie Stevens because in that moment fast and relentless tears began to stream down the side of Izzie's cheeks.

Izzie tightened her grip on Lexie's hand each time she could feel another tear roll down her cheek, she felt pathetic doing this but right now she need it. She need to let it all out and as hard as it was to admit it Izzie couldn't seem to let the others see her like this. What was even more comforting to her and also fed her tears even more was the fact that Lexie was just being there, she wasn't trying to sympathise with her or tell her that she needed to pull it together. Instead Lexie continued to sit there in complete silence and was willing to just wait; to wait for Izzie to let it all out. Izzie knew for a fact that Lexie would never know how much this would mean to her down the line, or how much she would become a kind of life line to the real world outside of Alex Karev.

It had been at least fifteen minutes till Izzie was finally able to pull herself together and finally stop all the tears. "I look like a mess" Izzie commented as she wiped her red, swollen eyes.

Lexie shook her head, "no Izzie, you look like someone who's finally allowing themself to process the reality of everything. It's not easy…."

"Stop, please stop" Izzie asked adamantly as she held up her hand to cut Lexie off. Izzie knew that while her crying was the start of her acceptance of the situation she felt like she was going to go insane if she didn't finally get some things off her chest.

"I am just so sick and tired of it"

"Tired of what?" Lexie asked rather hesitantly.

And finally what was the tower of strength that is Izzie Steven's came crashing down around her, "of everything!" Izzie cried out. "Of _everyone_…"

"Everyone" Lexie repeated just to make sure that she had understood correctly.

"People don't talk anymore, people don't talk to _me _anymore, I've been become the patient that nobody wants to talk to…"

"Izzie that's no true" Lexie rebuked defensively.

"Oh but it is Lexie, it is! Meredith comes in here acting all dark and twisty and won't talk to me about anything that's going on with her engagement because that would take some of the focus off of me and on to her. When Christina's here all she wants to talk about is my treatment…about how Dr. Sweender is, if I'm coping with the Chemo and when my next surgeries been scheduled and all this other crap that I really don't want to talk about" Izzie declares so frantically that Lexie can see she's beginning to work herself up. "Geor…George hasn't even come to see me since I've been admitted. Then there's Alex…who's being Alex and is refusing to talk to me about anything that has to do with him, he wont tell me about his day or the surgeries he scrubs in on…he won't even tell me what his thinking…", Izzie is forced to stop talking as she's worked herself up to the point that she was beginning to become short of breath and her chest was beginning to fell a bit tight, it was as though she couldn't catch her breath. As Izzie placed her hand over her chest to will her heart to stop beating so fast.

In that instant Lexie realised that something was wrong and instinctively grabbed a hold of Izzie's hand, "what's wrong?" she asked.

Izzie squeezed Lexie's hand tightly for what was probably the millionth time in the past half an hour, which she could have sworn that she would eventually cut off the blood circulation to Lexie's hand. "I can't…I can't…breathe" Izzie let out as her breathing became rather jagged.

Lexie immediately jumped up from her spot and grabbed the oxygen mask from the back of the bed. Leaning towards Izzie she placed the oxygen mask over her face and swatted Izzie's hand away as she tried to remove it, "I need you to leave that on and take deep breaths for me okay" Lexie instructed her while rubbing Izzie's back as a means of comfort.

Izzie could slowly sense that she was regaining control over he breathing and quietly removed the mask halfway from her face as she looked at Lexie, "I use to be the one that people talked to. Now people don't want to talk to me anymore…at least not about stuff that isn't cancer, everybody's to wrapped up in talking about the cancer that they can't see that I am _tired _of talking about the cancer…I'm all talked out", Izzie moved the mask back over her face so that she could draw a few breaths of the oxygen that it was providing. Once Izzie was sure that she wasn't going to have another attack again she went on to finish her plea to Lexie. "I need normal; I need a few minutes in the day where I can live in a world that's cancer free, in a world were people aren't reminding me every damn second of the day that I have cancer…I just need to forget." This time Izzie completely removed the mask and held it out to Lexie for her to return the mask back to its place. Once Lexie had repositioned herself at the foot of the bed Izzie looked Lexie straight in the eye and with the look of complete and utter desperation she whispered, "help me forget…help me be normal".

Lexie could see that Izzie was trying her hardest to hold it all together; she could see that Izzie was trying to retain her self-control by not crying. Lexie also knew that if she didn't do what Izzie was asking for that the tall blond may not be able to hold it all together for much longer. Lexie wasn't sure whether or not she was doing the right thing but she knew that Izzie needed this; Lexie reached out and squeezed Izzie's hand with a smile on her face as she filled Izzie in on the latest in a cancer free world, "Mark broke up with me".

Izzie closed her eyes as she leant her head back down onto the pillow while listening to Lexie's words, she couldn't help but smile. She wasn't smiling at the fact that Mark Sloan had just broken up with Lexie Grey, no Izzie Stevens was smiling because she had finally won a battle in all this mess. "Thank you…thank you" Izzie whispered as she opened her eyes up and looked at Lexie who had one of the most compassionate smiles that Izzie had ever seen.

"I should probably get going…give you a chance to rest" Lexie suggested hesitantly as she pointed towards the door. But before she could get up off the bed she was stoped by Izzie's question.

"Why?"

"Izz…" Lexie stated with a look on her face that was telling Izzie that she shouldn't be pushing herself so hard.

"You promised me cancer free, so spill…" Izzie refuted with a smirk on her face at the way that Lexie was acting.

Lexie let out a sigh of defeat because she knew that Izzie had already won this fight, crossing her arms over her chest she looked at Izzie and stated in a matter of fact way "short version is because my stupid _ex-boyfriend­ _decided that he was going to kiss me. I of course told Mark who over-reacted, broke up with me and stormed out of the on-call room before hearing the rest of what I had to say".

Izzie snorted at the scenario that Lexie had just rehashed to her, "is he a _dead _ex-boyfriend?" Izzie asked.

Lexie silently shook her head.

"Then you have nothing to worry about, it's not like you were having hot, sweaty sex with a dead fiancé".

Both woman looked at each other and couldn't help but smile at Izzie's comment, Lexie shook her head "I actually think that Mark would have preferred that to have been the case".

"Look if Alex could find it in him to forgive me then Sloan can forgive you…just give him some time".

"I know that…but how do _you _know that?" Lexie asked questioningly.

"Because I've seen the way he looks at you" Izzie shook her head, "no scratch that…the _entire hospital _has seen the way that he looks at you. He loves you; just give him some time to cool off".

"Yeah well I'm just hoping that this will all blow over soon".

"Oh it won't" Izzie explains to Lexie in a rather frank manner, a comment which only earns Izzie a confused look form Lexie.

Izzie rolled her eyes as she looked up at the ceiling then back at Lexie, "have you learnt _nothing_ from your sister Meredith? People want drama, people around here _need _drama, and people _don't_ want to hear about happy people being happy…especially when they're not. Why do you think people have gotten tired of talking about Meredith and Derek…because they're engaged and happy…there's no more drama between those two. That's why these walls talk, walls talk but they don't talk about happy people, they talk about the drama people so trust me this _will not _end until you and Mark are happy again…people want to hear about the dark and twisty stuff not the soft bunny stuff".

Lexie shook her head because she knew that Izzie was right, "well if the idiot could just let go of his stupid pride long enough to talk to me…"

Izzie stretched out to pat Lexie on the hand, "yeah good luck with that one…"

************

Miranda was trying as hard as possible to ignore it, hoping that the incessant clicking would stop and that she could get back to work. Unfortunately for her it didn't, Callie seemed to be hell bent on standing by the nurse's station in her own little world while incessantly clicking her pen away.

Miranda instinctively reached out to grasp Callie's hand so as to stop the clicking, Callie gave Miranda an awkward smile and once she was sure that Torres had indeed stoped, she went back to her work.

Just as Bailey was about to right a note on the patient's chart her hand froze mid air and while looking down at the chart she offered Callie some wise advice, "click that pen one more time and you're gonna need Dr. Hunt if you want any chance of finding that pen again…do I make myself clear?" Miranda couldn't help but smile as she heard the sound of the pen being dropped onto the bench, victory was sweet after all.

Callie let out a huge sigh as she rested her chin onto the palm of her hand while looking at Bailey who refused to respond. Callie let out another a sigh, only this time it was carried out far longer than the first one. Callie knew that she was getting to Miranda for the fact that she had stoped writing for a split second, so she had convinced herself that one more go would do the trick. Just as Callie cleared her voice to let out another long sigh she was beaten to the punch by Miranda, "what?"

Callie feigned shock at Miranda's outburst, "sorry Dr. Bailey I didn't mean to interrupt you".

Miranda leant back into her chair and looked Callie up and down, "yes you did, you meant to interrupt me because that's _all_ you people do around here…damn fools won't let a women work in peace and quiet. So I'm only going to ask once, _what is your problem?" _

In a split second Callie went from being a feigned innocent to an over-excited schoolgirl. "It's Shepherd and Sloan; those two morons have finally lost the plot. Shepherd's hiding in O.R. gallery's after coming back to civilisation, Sloan's asking me to spy on people and to make it all worse the idiots are refusing to talk to each other. But I know…I know in my gut that if those two could just stop butting heads and talk to each other that they could help each other sort themselves out, it's not like they have anything to lose in forgiving each other. Only the idiots won't talk, because apparently they _like _not talking to each other, they like not talking". Callie took a deep breath after somehow managing to let that all out in one breath and then proceeded to wait for Miranda's input.

However for Callie Miranda's response was not the answer that she was looking for, because it was in that second that Miranda fell into a fit of laughter at her fellow Attending. Callie waited but it didn't seem that Miranda was going to stop anytime soon, "ok what's so funny" she asked in exasperation.

"I am laughing at _you" _Miranda informed Callie as she pointed at her. As Callie continued to look at Miranda with a blank look on her face Miranda shook her head in disbelief. "Dr. Torres would you like me to share something with you that _I _have discovered over the last 38 years of my life?"

"Ah yes…" Callie responded with an uncertain look on her face.

"If there is one thing that I have learnt over the years, it's that there is _one _thing and one thing only that _all _grown men are scared of", Miranda explained in a way that she assumed that no further explanation was necessary.

Callie stood in silence as she mulled over Miranda's words, suddenly in an over-excited outburst Callie jumped up and down while pointing at Miranda. "Its death…every grown man is afraid of death. So what I'm supposed to threaten them?"

Priceless was the only way to describe the look on Miranda Bailey's face, she had a look on her face that screamed _are you stupid_. "No!" Miranda deadpanned as she rose from her seat and collected all of her paperwork.

"What could a grown man be more terrified of than facing his own morta…Bailey you're a genius" Callie exclaimed with a sudden look of clarity on her face while smiling with a Cheshire grin.

Miranda nodded at Callie's statement with a smug look on her face, "yes _I am_ and don't _you _ever forget that".

Callie leant across the bench to pick up the telephone and began to dial the number she needed. While doing so Miranda began to walk away from the desk, however not before stoping next to Callie who hi-fived her fellow Attending for her brilliance. As Miranda left Callie's attention was turned back to the phone as she was asked a question by the person on the other line. With a cunning smile smeared across her face Callie cleared her throat in anticipation for talking to the means necessary to end this silly feud between Neuro and Plastics,. "Yes…I need a number for a local listing…the name is Shepherd…_Carolyn Shepherd"._


	9. Chapter 9

**Please keep the reviews coming, and thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story. I really enjoy reading them and they really motivate me to write the next chapter, so keep them coming!!**

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**Chapter 9**

Lexie had literally had the day from hell and couldn't think of anything else that she would rather do then to crawl into bed and sleep the night away. Only problem was that the bed she really wanted to be in was other wise off limits for the time being, so reluctantly Lexie dragged her feet through the front door of the house she had not stepped foot inside of since Mark and Derek's fight.

Lexie stood in the middle of the hallway of the silent house while clutching onto her bag and coat so tightly that her knuckles were beginning to turn white. After a few minutes she let out a sigh of relief as she reaffirmed to herself that was in fact all alone. Lexie didn't know what she was supposed to be expecting but there was a part of her that had expected Meredith to come storming down the stairs, yelling at her to get out and telling her that she was no longer welcomed.

Haphazardly Lexie threw her belongings onto the banister of the stair case while making her way towards the kitchen in dire need of a cup of coffee when she was stoped by the sound of the front door bell. For a second excitement began to consume Lexie as she thought that it was Mark coming to apologise for the way he had behaved, then suddenly realisation hit her when she remembered that anyone who knew Meredith and Derek very rarely knocked on the front door…it was more like barging through it.

To say that Lexie still wasn't surprised would have been an understatement as she was greeted with a rather bruised and battered Jackson Reid standing before her.

"Can I come in?" Reid asked rather hesitantly with his hands stuffed inside his pockets.

At first Lexie had lost all ability to speak as she took in the appearance of Reid's face, she couldn't help but think to herself that Mark had really done a number on him. Silently stepping aside for the man, Reid smiled at Lexie as much as he could before making his way into the house.

Reid stood there like a lost little boy, waiting for Lexie to do something or at the most _say _something about the sight of his face. It was at that realisation that Reid couldn't help but feel a twinge in his gut; he couldn't seem to understand why Lexie was being so resistant.

Lexie silently made a beeline for the kitchen so that she could make the coffee she had promised herself. As she made her way over to the fridge to retrieve the milk Lexie realised that she couldn't keep pretending as though Reid wasn't there, she also realised that now was a better time then any to have the exact conversation that she had been avoiding since his arrival. "You want one" Lexie asked while holding the carton of milk out towards Reid.

Reid realised that if they were going to have this chat then he needed to be careful with what he said, so he decided that the best icebreaker would be to remind Lexie of how he had his coffee. "Without", Reid offered as he took his seat on the bar stool. Lexie nodded her head in reply and went about retrieving coffee cups while trying to avoid all eye contact with Reid.

"So…" Reid asked knowing things were far too gone to be playing games; besides he also knew that if he wanted an honest to god conversation with Lexie then he needed to be upfront about everything.

Lexie shook a reply of no with her head, signalling to Reid that she just wasn't quite ready yet. Reid could see that her face had turned red from irritation because of the change of colour in her ears…the only part of her head he could really see, Reid always would remember the fact that Lexie's ears would go red whenever she was mad at him. Reid leant across the kitchen bar and grabbed a hold of her hand to try and get her to stand still for a minute, "I'm sorry" Reid said softly.

Lexie took a deep breath to try and pull herself together then looked Reid straight in the eye, "it's too late, you're too late Jackson" she whispered out, a bit disappointed with herself that she wasn't able to say it as loud and as strong as she wanted it to sound. But at the same time a sense of awkwardness consumed Lexie because it had been so long since she had heard his name came out of her mouth.

"So clearly…I missed something didn't I?" Reid asked with a smirk on his face as he joked, hoping that it would help to settle things down a bit.

Lexie gave Reid a pointed look after looking away from the window, "don't do that".

Reid looked at Lexie questioningly; as he watched Lexie rummage around the kitchen as she made the two of them their coffee Reid wondered how he had managed to screw this all up and why she wasn't angry with him, or talking to him about it. "Lex, please say something, hell you can even yell at me if you want to…just don't do this, don't stand here pretending like I never hurt you" Reid admitted pleadingly for her to respond to him.

"You stopped hurting me a long time ago" Lexie explained and as the words came out of her mouth Lexie realised that it wasn't a lie. Reid really had no hold of her anymore, and feeling as though this weight had been lifted off her shoulders she passed Reid his coffee and took the empty seat next to him.

Reid nodded his head in thanks for the coffee and took a sip of the dark liquid before turning his attention back to Lexie, "so does that mean you don't care or that you've moved on…"

"That means that I've finally let all the hurt go, I've finally let _you_ go and that…it's in the past and that's where it needs to stay…otherwise there's no chance for me and Mark" Lexie replied mumbling the last part of her sentence.

Reid was now laughing out loud so hard that he couldn't breath while Lexie gave him a stern look, after taking a few deep breath's and managing to pull himself together Reid gave Lexie a serious look. "I'm sorry, but can you honestly expect me to believe that you want to try and make a future with a man who so easily and so willingly did this to me" Reid asked in an exasperated tone as he pointed at his black and blue eye and what looked to Lexie like a fractured cheekbone. "I'm worried about you".

Lexie thought about Reid's question for about a microsecond only to be filled with a sense of security she had never felt before. Yes Mark had a tendency to let his anger get the better of him, and yes there were a lot of things that annoyed Mark and Lexie could probably name all of them. But Lexie knew; she just _knew_ that whenever she was with Mark that she was safe and that he would never hurt her…not intentionally and never the way that Reid had hurt her. After all at the end of the day it was all about trust and she trusted Mark implicitly, besides if you couldn't trust the man you loved then who could you trust.

_The man you love…_

Lexie repeated that a few times over and over again inside her head, she loved Mark…she, Alexandra Caroline Grey loved Mark Sloan. It finally dawned on her and she couldn't help but let a smile creep onto her face as the realisation hit her, sure she knew that she had deep feelings for her Attending/boyfriend/sister's fiancé's best friend/ex-boyfriend…the word ex being thrown around loosely here, but she never considered it to be love. At least not until Reid came along and not until she was faced with the very real prospect that she could loose him.

Lexie was brought back to the world of reality when she heard Reid clearing his throat and watching her intensely with a look of concern written all over his face. Smiling to let Reid know that everything was fine and more importantly that she was fine Lexie took a sip of her coffee then shrugged her shoulders, "don't be" Lexie explained rather frankly, "I'm in good hands" Lexie said with mixed emotions. Emotions of uncertainty of whether or not Mark felt the same way about her; fear of losing Mark if she was ever to confess to him and more importantly impatience towards rectifying this whole mess and going back to before.

Reid shook his head in disbelief at what he was hearing, "you love him". Reid offered more as an observation than as a question.

"Hallelujah the man's finally getting it" Lexie exclaimed as she threw her hands up into the air.

Reid gave Lexie a stern look; he didn't appreciate the way that she was insinuating that he didn't get her, that he no longer knew her. Reid had the look of a wounded dog plastered all over his face as he softly asked "Why Lex…why him?"

That was the one question Lexie really wasn't expecting, but more importantly it was a question she didn't really know how to answer and she didn't feel comfortable talking about this with him. "I just do, it's not something that I can really explain" Lexie said with a faraway look on her face as she mentally went over a list of all the reasons why she loved Mark.

"I don't think I've seen you this happy in a long time" Reid thought out loud as he took a sip of his coffee.

Lexie nodded her head a she could feel the red blush slowly creeping back up her face, "I'm happy, I'm really, really happy" she explained with a giddy smile.

"I guess I was just hoping that one day…one day I would be the one to make you really, really happy".

Lexie couldn't help but grin at Reid as he mimicked her 'really, really happy' line, she leant forward as she gave him a kiss on the cheek and said in an adamant tone "someone else" as a rebuttal to Reid's comment about making her happy. Lexie looked over at the clock on her stove and realised that it was nearly 8pm, and that at any moment now Meredith or Derek would be coming home and she really didn't want Mark finding out about their time alone together. Rising from her chair Lexie made her way over to the sink so she could rinse out both cups, once she was done Lexie turned her attention back towards Reid as she leant against the kitchen bench with a tea towel in her hand. "Jackson you better…" Lexie began to say but was cut off by the one voice she really didn't want to hear right then and there.

"Lexie" Mark whispered as he continued to look backwards and forwards from Lexie and Reid while standing in the middle of the kitchen doorway. For the second time today he felt like a complete and utter idiot who had just been kicked in the gut. Here he was thinking that he would come on over to Meredith's house and tell Lexie that he over reacted and apologise profusely. Instead he came over to find Lexie all alone and cosy with the man that she had kissed no less than six hours ago.

Reid's entire body stiffened as he saw that look on Mark's face, the same look he had seen earlier before just as Mark was about to hit him. "Lex…" Reid asked rather concerned about the idea of leaving her alone with him.

"Just go home Jackson" Lexie explained, the both of them knowing full well that when Lexie said home she wasn't just referring to his hotel room.

*********

Not watching were he was going Reid collided straight into Derek as he made his way through the front door who decided that _now _would be a good as time as any to come home. The look on Derek's face told Reid that he clearly wasn't happy to seem him either, so quickly Reid held his hands up in self-defense "she's in the kitchen with Sloan", having felt that he was done here Reid side stepped Derek and left without another word.

Derek could hear the yelling coming from the kitchen as he closed the door behind him, sighing in complete exhaustion Derek made his way towards the living room. Once there Derek grabbed a hold of what he was looking for and placed the contents onto the coffee table and waited.

**********

With his arms crossed over his chest so that his bulging biceps could be clearly displayed Mark looked Lexie straight in the eye, "What the hell was that all about?"

Lexie began fiddling with the tea towel in her hand; she could feel herself growing agitated because she really didn't know what to say. Where should she start, the thought of telling Mark that she loved him did occur to her but she knew Mark; and even if he did feel the same way he'd convince himself that Lexie was only telling him this to calm him down. So instead Lexie decided with the honest approach minus a few minor details, "Reid just wanted to talk".

Mark scoffed at Lexie's defense, "yeah because your last little chat was very productive".

"I'm going to choose to ignore that Mark" Lexie explained as she threw the tea towel onto the kitchen bench. "Besides don't you think you should hear the whole story before you go jumping of the deep end and deciding that you and I are through?" Lexie asked, the two knowing that she was referring to their earlier conversation.

"What now I need to stand here and listen to you tell me about how that sleaze ball tried to have sex with my girlfriend in _my _office" Mark asked while pointing towards the direction that Reid had left.

Lexie shook her head in disbelief, she wasn't mad at him but however she was disappointed at Mark…disappointed with herself. "You don't trust me" Lexie stated, not really asking a question but rather stating a fact.

"Do you blame me?" Mark asked as he leant down on the dining chair near him.

"No I blame _me"_ Lexie offered as she began to walk away from Mark.

It seemed that Lexie's comment did the trick because in that second Mark felt like he was about to lose everything and he needed to act fast. "Lex…" Mark cried out as he reached out for her hand to stop her from walking away.

"No I was the idiot for thinking that I was any different from all the others. For thinking that this was different for you, that I actually meant something to you. I mean let's be honest I don't mean a thing to you because if I did you wouldn't be looking for the first excuse to walk out the door and more importantly…it would be as hard for you to walk away from this as it is for me". Lexie explained as she yanked her arm out of Mark's grasp while trying to hold back all the tears.

Before Mark even had a chance to defend himself Lexie went running out of the room, but not fast enough without Mark seeing the few tears that had managed to slip past her defences.

Lexie quickly charged down the hallway and out the front door without so much as even noticing Derek who was still sitting on the couch. It wasn't long before Mark had followed suit only Mark's had froze just above the door knob as he heard the sound of a whistle coming from the direction of the living room. He turned only to see Derek leaning forwards as he filled up two glasses with what Mark could only guess to be scotch.

In complete silence Derek held the second glass out towards Mark's direction as he leant back into the couch, he placed his feet up on the coffee table and took a sip of his own cup. Mark looked from the front door to the offering that Derek had in his hand, Derek could see Mark struggling, "she needs sometime to cool off" he offered.

Mark looked back down at his hand that was still hovering over the door knob, "how do you know that" he asked without so much as even looking at Derek.

"She's a Grey, and Grey's always need time to blow off steam whenever they feel like they're being backed into a corner. Trust me, I'm a grey expert".

Mark dropped his hand to his side as he marched over to Derek and took the second glass out of Derek's hand and sat down next to him. As he took a long and albeit needed sip from the liquid inside his glass Mark also placed his feet up onto the coffee table and looked at Derek.

"This doesn't make us friends" Derek explained as he took another sip of his drink to try and cover up the smile that was threatening to come out.

Mark shook his head, "didn't think it did" he offered as he also took another sip of his drink, only this time it wasn't to try and calm his nerves or to try and help him forget…nope, instead it was to try and hide the little bout of excitement that was threatening to break loss at the realisation that he and Derek would really be ok.


	10. Chapter 10

**Please keep the reviews coming, and thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story. I really enjoy reading them and they really motivate me to write the next chapter, so keep them coming!!**

**************

**Chapter 10**

Three-quarters of the way into the bottle and neither one of them had said a word to each other since their initial conversation. Neither Derek nor Mark really felt like striking up a conversation and it wasn't because neither of them had nothing to say to each other but rather because they just wanted to enjoy the peace and quiet. Lately it seemed like all they did was fight whether it was with one another or someone else and deep down they were both getting sick of it, they wanted there friend back.

Unfortunately for the boys it just seemed like it wasn't meant to be, as Mark leant forward to grab the bottle of scotch for a refill there was a sudden knock at the front door. Mark paused mid way and turned to Derek, "you expecting someone?"

Derek furrowed his brows as he looked in the direction of the front door while shaking his head, "no, besides this place is like grand central station…people just come and go as they please with out even knocking".

And just on cue there was another knock on the door, "you gonna get that?" Mark asked as he went back to pouring himself another drink.

Derek downed the rest of his glass and shrugged at Mark as he reached out to take the bottle from him.

Mark leant back into the couch and was about to take a sip of his drink when the knocking began again, "they're rather persistent" Mark commented with a smirk on his face as he took another sip.

Just as Mark was about to swallow the liquid that was in his mouth he had to will himself not to choke on it as he heard "Derek Christopher Shepherd open this door right now!" being yelled out from the other side of the door.

"Mom", "Mrs. Shepherd", both Mark and Derek exclaimed simultaneously as they turned towards each other with petrified looks on their faces.

Derek quickly jumped up from the couch and downed the rest of his glass before holding both his glass and the bottle of scotch out in Mark's direction, "get rid of it".

Mark gave Derek a confused look, "what do you want me to do with it?"

"I don't know just get rid of it" Derek barked at Mark a he began tidying the coffee table.

Mark couldn't help but laugh at how the cool, calm and collected Dr. Derek Shepherd always turned into a pile of goo around Mrs. Shepherd, "don't tell me that you're scared of your mother finding out that you've been drinking…we're grown men, if we want to drink then we can drink!" Mark defended himself adamantly.

Derek listened to Mark's little speech while nodding his head as he stood there with his hands on his hips, "aha, so then you wouldn't mind listening to that little speech she gave us after her surprise visit in our first year of college?" Derek asked while trying to not laugh at that memory.

Mark shuddered as the memory that came flashing back to him, "I couldn't have sex for a whole week" Mark reminded Derek. He then looked at the two empty glasses and bottle in his hand then back at Derek, with the sound of another knock on the front door Mark began walking past Derek while informing him "top right cupboard behind the colander it is then".

"Good man" Derek commented as he patted Mark on the shoulder before bolting for the front door. He froze for a second to compose himself then plastered the cheesiest grin that he could muster before opening the door. "Mom" Derek exclaimed with opened arms as soon as he saw her.

"Derek" Carolyn Shepherd responded back excitedly as she embraced her son, "you certainly took your time" Carolyn couldn't help but comment as she pulled away from Derek and made her way into the living room.

Derek awkwardly looked around the room; double checking to make sure that they're wasn't anything lying around that shouldn't be. Derek let out sigh of relief as he mentally gave himself the all clear, "sorry about that, I must have just crashed out soon as I got home from work".

Carolyn also did a quick scan of the room before turning her attention back to her soon, "really?" Carolyn asked as she began to take off her coat, "so Mark isn't in the kitchen right know hiding the half drunken bottle of scotch in the top right cupboard behind the colander?"

Derek stood there dumbfounded just as Mark strolled into the living room feigning surprise, "Mrs. Shepherd" Mark exclaimed as he walked over to give her a hug. As he pulled away Mark couldn't help but notice that Derek was rather silent, "I was just grabbing a glass of water on…"

"Save it Mark she already knows" Derek cut in after finally managing to find his voice again.

Mark looked back and forth between Carolyn and Derek with a confused look on his face. Carolyn on the other hand couldn't help but laugh at the two grown men standing before her, "I honestly don't know why you two even bother trying to hide things from me, it's not like I came down in the last shower and you both know that I'll eventually find out…it's inevitable".

"How…" seemed to be the only word Mark could utter.

Carolyn burst out into a full blown laugh, "well first of all both _you _and _Derek _smell like two drunken sailors…."

"Hey we didn't have that much to drink" Derek cut in dismissively.

Carolyn simply waved off Derek's comment and carried on with her own conversation, "and it's always been the same with you two" Carolyn explained while taking a moment to think to herself. "Though I've never truly understood what the fascination is that you two have with hiding liquor behind the colander".

"Well I better get going" Mark informed the two of them as he made his way over to the couch to collect his jacket.

"Oh no you have to stay Mark" Carolyn instructed with a disappointed look on her face.

"Yes Mark you have to stay" Derek stated rather frankly as he stepped to his left so that he could block Mark off who was now standing right in front of him.

"Did you call her" Derek whispered to Mark while trying to keep a smile plastered on his face.

Mark also smiled while looking at Derek like he was nuts, "why the hell would I call her, one parental visit a year is my limit. You're the one who called her".

Derek and Mark began bickering between each other over who was to blame that Carolyn Shepherd was now standing before them, doing so the whole time with smiles on their faces.

Carolyn couldn't help but smirk because she knew exactly what the conversation that her two sons were having was about, it wasn't the first time and it certainly wouldn't be the last. "Is that a private conversation or can anyone join" Carolyn asked while smiling sweetly at the boys in an attempt to gain their attention.

Mark shook his head profusely, "I really should be going I have an early surgery tomorrow morning…"

In that instant Carolyn's sweet smile turned into a dark glare, "Marcus Dylan Sloan sit" Carolyn ordered while pointing to the couch in front of her and then turned her attention to Derek, "you two!"

Both men quickly marched over to the couch and both sat down at the same time while trying to avoid all eye contact with Carolyn the whole time.

Carolyn stood rather still for a moment as she took the time to take a really good look at both Mark and Derek while thinking about what she had learnt while on the phone with Callie. Carolyn made her way over and sat herself down on the coffee table in front of the boys. "You both look like crap", Carolyn stated her observation bluntly.

"Yeah well he went running off into the woods" Mark retorted like a five year old.

"Yeah well his girlfriend kissed another guy" Derek argued back while punching Mark on the shoulder.

"Hey" Mark exclaimed while rubbing his sore shoulder, "well he hit your ring with a baseball bat into the woods" Mark informed Carolyn as he retaliated by punching Derek on the shoulder again.

Carolyn looked up at the ceiling as she shook her head in disbelief at the two men sitting in front of her. Both men were too busy arguing and hitting each other on the shoulder to notice Carolyn who grabbed ahold of the newspaper that was sitting next to her and rolled it up. Just as Derek was about to take another swing at Mark he as stoped by the sudden sensation of something hard hitting him across the head, "I know for a fact that I did not raise you two to be violent" Carolyn informed them while simultaneously as she moved back and forth in hitting Mark and Derek across the chest with the rolled up newspaper.

"_Hey_" Mark and Derek exclaimed in unison as they both began to rub their chests while feigning injuries.

"I'm too old for this" Carolyn exclaimed as dropped the rolled up newspaper on to the coffee table next to her.

"To old for what exactly?" Derek asked with a confused look on his face as he turned to Mark for an answer.

Mark merely shrugged his shoulders as he didn't have a clue what Carolyn was going on about.

"Derek do not be a smart ass…nobody likes a smart ass" Carolyn informed him as she closed her eyes for a second so she could figure out what her plan of attack would be. "Now as I was saying, I am far too old to have to be worrying about you to all the time" Carolyn stated while looking back and forth at Mark and Derek.

"Mom we don't need you worrying about us, we're grown men and we can take care of ourselves" Derek insisted adamantly.

Carolyn couldn't help but scoff at Derek's defence, "yes I can see that the two of you are doing a marvellous job at handling things… what with you" Carolyn pointed at Derek, "Having a complete break down and running off to the woods. And you" pointing at Mark "practically accusing your girlfriend of sleeping with you simply to get ahead…oh yeah you're both doing a bang up job" Carolyn retorted, while oozing with sarcasm.

"Mrs. Shepherd we're fine, Derek here's engaged and I recently completed a face transplant and have possibly found a means for starting a clinical trial for cleft pallets…" Mark started to say but was cut off by Carolyn.

"So in other words your medical career is doing superable and Derek's has hit a snag, while Derek is one step away from having his house with the white picket fence and 2.5 kids while you're hell bent on pushing yours out the door. Oh I can see how this is doing wonders for the both of you…"

"What would you like from us _mother"_ Derek asked, knowing full well that he had now gotten Carolyn's attention by referring to her as mother. Derek only did that whenever he was frustrated.

Carolyn let out a huge sigh of defeat, "what I want is for you _two _to grow up". Carolyn could now see that trying the hitting two birds with one stone approach was going to work, so instead she decided to try an individual approach…starting with Derek because his problems were a lot more simpler.

"Derek" Carolyn called out at she looked him in the eye, "death is death and try as we might it is just simply unavoidable no matter how much we'd like to. You are _not _God; you don't get to decide when somebody's time is up and if it just so happens that there time is up while they're under your care then that is called _a coincidence_ Derek Shepherd…"

"God didn't decide to cut out the front temporal lobe of that woman's brain…I did" Derek exclaimed while jabbing his finger into his chest. He could feel all the anger that he had thought he had worked out rise to the surface again.

"Derek do you recall what it was that you said to me on the day of your father's funeral?" Carolyn asked gently, not wanting to drudge up too many painful memories for her son.

Derek silently shook his head at his mother because right now he really didn't want to think about his father's death because lately that was all Derek ever thought about…about death.

Carolyn reached out and grasped Derek's hand and squeezed it tightly so that he would look her in the eye. "We were sitting in your father's study on that old leather couch of his and you looked at me and said 'don't hate them'. Now at first I was confused because I didn't have a clue as to who your were talking about but then you said", Carolyn paused for a minute to try and pull herself together because frankly having all three of them fall apart at the seems wouldn't do anyone any good. "You said 'please don't hate the doctors mom, doctors can only fight the patient's battle for them for so much'. So Derek it's about time you take some of your own advice…and stop hating yourself, you could only fight for her for so long" Carolyn offered, and just as Derek was about to protest Mrs. Shepherd raised her index finger, "with or without her temporal lobe. Besides you did what you thought was best, and that's all anyone can ever really ask of you".

Carolyn then turned her attention to Mark, "now what on earth is this nonsense about the two of you fighting in front of the entire hospital?"

Both men sheepishly looked down because neither one of them could bring themselves to look at each other. Carolyn could see the hurt but more importantly the humiliation etched onto their faces, the humiliation wasn't so much about the fact that they had fought in front of the hospital but more to do with the fact that they had let it affect there friendship like this. When neither one of them spoke Carolyn shook her head in utter disgust, "are you honestly going to tell me that while you two can find it in yourselves and more importantly in each other to get past the whole Addison debacle, you can't get past this!" Carolyn exclaimed.

"It's not that simple" Mark snapped back in defense.

"You know Jonathon always said that nothing is ever as complicated as it seems, but that we prefer complicated because it give us an excuse to not have to deal with the reality".

"The reality…what reality would be exactly mom?" Derek asked.

"That you've both moved on from this silly fight of yours and have already forgiven each other, but that you are both far too stubborn for your own good and aren't willing to admit it until the other one does first" Carolyn informed Derek with a smug look on her face.

Derek and Mark both looked at each other and then quickly back at Carolyn, "for pete sake" Carolyn exclaimed rather exasperatedly. "Derek you had not right in telling Mark who he can and cannot see; besides it is highly unfair that you should have the opportunity to have your happy ending while you insist that Mark sits on the sidelines and watch. And Mark when are you going to realise that that fight had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that you are seeing Lexie and everything to do with the fact that your timing incredibly sucked. You were simply the closest thing Derek had to let all his anger out on, and Derek the next time you feel the need to hit something try a punching bag rather than Mark".

"Yes ma'm" Mark and Derek stated again in unison.

Carolyn nodded her head rather proudly, "good, now this is what you two are going to do. Derek here is going to snap out of it and act like the doctor he really his while you Mark are going to stop seconding guessing why Lexie is with you every five minutes of the day. But more importantly you two are going to say you're sorry and give each other a hug…_right now_!"

Derek and Mark both sat on the couch in quiet protest, thinking as if that was going to work on Carolyn Shepherd. Carolyn smirked at their behaviour as she shook her head, "have it your way boys, either you two fix this right now or…"

"Or" Derek repeated hesitantly because he wasn't really sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"Or the two of you give me no choice other than to remain here in Seattle, living in Meredith's house, until you two _can _finally pull your acts together" Carolyn informed them innocently.

Derek and Mark both looked at each other than at Carolyn again, they both looked like they had turned a shade whiter at the news. "You wouldn't?" Mark asked.

"Try me" Carolyn stated as she crossed her arms over her chest and furrowed her brows.

In that instant Mark and Derek both jumped up from there spots on the couch exclaiming "sorry" while they hugged each other. While all three of them knew that at this moment the sorry's and hugs were insincere that wasn't what mattered, what mattered was the fact that it meant that Mark and Derek were one step closer to fixing their broken relationship. Derek was about to say something else when a pager begun to go off, both Mark and Derek automatically reached for their pagers to see whose it was, Derek let out a sigh of irritation, "I have to go it's a 9-1-1".

"Derek it's nearly 11pm" Carolyn informed her son, rather put out at the thought that he was being called back into the hospital at this time of night.

"The life of a surgeon" Derek simply explained as he slipped on his jacket then kissed his mother on the cheek.

"I'll come with you" Mark quickly jumped in, hoping to get the hell out of there before Carolyn decided to have a go at Mark's state of affairs.

"No you won't" Carolyn adamantly explained as she held a hand out to stop Mark from going anyway. "I might be getting old but I am _not _going deaf, I only heard one pager go off…a pager which happened to be Derek's so you will stay put. We need to talk".

Derek looked at Mark rather apologetically because he really had no way of getting Mark out of this and even if he could he knew that Carolyn would never fall for it. Derek's pager began to go off again to indicate that he was urgently needed; Derek switched his pager off then turned his attention to Mark who gave him a silent nod to go. "I'll see you later" Derek informed them and then bolted out the front door.

"Right we need coffee" Carolyn informed Mark as she clapped her hands together.

"Mrs. Shepherd" Mark protested, he knew what Carolyn was trying to do but after the day he had just had he really wasn't in the mood for it.

"It will only take a minute Mark" Carolyn explained while ignoring any of Mark's further comments as she made her way to the kitchen.

True to her word in no less than ten seconds Carolyn came walking into the living room with two steaming cups of coffee, she passed one on to Mark as she sat down beside him. Mark and Carolyn sat in complete silence as they continued to drink their coffee, neither one of them really knowing where to start. After Carolyn's years of experience in dealing with Mark she had learnt that if she didn't tread carefully Mark would completely shut down on her. "Mark…"

"I broke up with her" Mark cut in before Carolyn could say anything else.

Carolyn sat frozen in her seat, unsure of how she was supposed to respond to something like that. She opened her mouth to speak but Carolyn just couldn't seem to find the words so she quickly closed it again. Carolyn really had no clue what to say to the man she now considered to be a son so in stead she concentrated on the cup of coffee currently residing in her hands.

Mark on the other hand could clearly see that Carolyn was struggling to put this all together, and Mark was a big enough man to acknowledge the fact that this was all Lexie's doing. Before Lexie Mark really didn't care about the emotional crap, he hated the idea of talking about feelings and problems and all that other stuff, but that had changed for Mark since Lexie. While Mark still struggled to express certain emotions he was more willing to talk about things, and it wasn't just about the sex anymore…Lexie Grey had changed Mark, she hand changed him for the better and now he was losing her.

"Is this because of Derek? Because if it then Mark I have to tell you that this is the stupidest thing that you have ever done…and that's including the time that you thought skinning dipping in the neighbours backyard while they were a sleep was a good idea".

Mark couldn't help but let out a small chuckle as he remembered that night, the night in which Derek was the genius behind the plan and made no attempt to come to his defense…_oh how times were simpler_ Mark thought to himself. Unfortunately for Mark that thought was quickly pushed aside as his head began to fill with thoughts of little Grey. "She wanted out" Mark stated adamantly as he took another sip of his coffee.

Carolyn meticulously took in every detail about Mark's behaviour, she could see that he was breaking, but more importantly she could see that Mark finally needed to hear a few home truths. "Did she say that?" Carolyn asked, thinking that dealing with the Lexie issue was the best place to begin.

"Well no…" Mark started to say but was cut off.

"So then how can you possibly know that she wants out?"

"I just do!" Mark snapped as he sprung up from the couch and began pacing up and down the room again like some sort of caged animal, he hated feeling like that. He could feel Carolyn giving him that pointed look she would always give her children whenever they did something wrong, subconsciously Mark loved it whenever Carolyn Shepherd did that to him because he felt like he had a family…a mother. Mark scrubbed his face an irritation and finally forced himself to stand still, with his hands on his hips he turned his attention back to his 'mother'. "There's this guy" Mark simply offered.

"Well if there's another guy then clearly she would want out" Carolyn replied, her comment oozing with sarcasm.

Mark gave Carolyn a scornful look, "could you please drop the sarcasm for five seconds?"

Carolyn relaxed into the couch and placed her clasped hands into her lap, "I'll drop the sarcasm when you drop this poor me act you have going on".

Mark could feel the irritation starting to gnaw at him; he was trying to have a serious conversation and the woman he thought of as his mother was mocking him. "There's no _poor me _act going on, there's a guy who kissed her and know she wants him so I let her go".

"Did she reciprocate the kiss?"

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Mark asked with a confused look on his face.

Suddenly Carolyn looked like a light had just gone off on the top of her head, "you didn't ask and more importantly you didn't wait to find out. She told you that another man kissed her so your mind automatically skipped straight to the part where she dumps you…you never asked".

Mark began to get defensive towards Carolyn, "I didn't need to ask because I know; I just know ok. It's the same thing every time; they all eventually walk away".

"Come here" Carolyn asked softly as she patted the empty space on the couch beside her.

Mark grudgingly sat down on the couch and leant forward with his arms resting on his knees. "She wanted out" Mark whispered softly as he sat there looking into thin air, hoping that he if he kept repeating it over and over again then both his head and heart would accept the fact that he needed to get use to a life without Lexie.

Carolyn inched closer towards Mark as she began rubbing circles on his back in hopes of calming him down and soothing away his fears. "I imagine it can get pretty tiring some days" Carolyn said.

"What can?" Mark asked with his eyes closed as he tried to block everything else out besides Carolyn's soothing gestures that were helping to calm him down.

"This" Carolyn explained as she pointed towards Mark with her free hand.

Mark's eyes sprung open the second that Carolyn had stoped what she was doing and looked at her with a questioning look. "Don't you ever get tired of this?" Carolyn asked as she squeezed Mark's shoulder for comfort. "I mean I get exhausted simply from watching so I couldn't possibly imagine what it's like being two different people"

"Two different people" Mark repeated very slowly and hesitantly as he wanted to be sure that he had heard her correctly.

"You don't see it do you" Carolyn asked as she was hit with another realisation about Mark Sloan for the second time tonight. "Mark" Carolyn said his name as she paused for a moment to think carefully about her choice of words. "When you step inside that hospital, inside that O.R. you're _Dr. Sloan_. A man who is strong and confidant leader who never doubts himself, a doctor who accomplishes things that others can only dream about…Dr. Sloan inspires others, his the doctor that every intern only dreams of becoming one day", Carolyn pauses to let Mark take in everything she had just said before carrying on.

"Then there's Mark Sloan, a man who feels like he constantly has to question his own worth, question his merit…his place and value in the lives of other people and his constantly punishing himself for mistakes that were made in the past…some which weren't even his to begin with. A man who's convinced himself that he doesn't deserve anything good to happen in his life...who thinks that he doesn't deserve Lexie. So yes, I'm wondering when it is exactly that your going _stop _all of this and finally let _Mark Sloan_….be _Dr. Mark Sloan_".

Mark leant into the couch and closed his eyes as he rested his head against the couch, "I am _Dr. Mark Sloan_" Mark answered defensively.

Carolyn shook her head as she looked at Mark with a wounded look on her face, "no your not, one day _maybe…_but that's not today. An the fact that you aren't even willing to admit it to yourself let alone to the woman you love tells me that…that we have an even bigger problem then whether or not you _deserve _Lexie".

Mark listened to every single word that Carolyn said and as hard as he tried to kid himself he knew that she was right, he knew that he was two different men inside and outside of the O.R. room. Mark couldn't help but wonder were to even begin if he truly wanted to be only one man…a man who deserved someone like Lexie. He looked at Carolyn with a pleading look, a silent begging for her to make this all right, to fix whatever it was that was broken inside of him…or at least to help him fix what Lexie hadn't been able to put back together yet.

Carolyn was stunned by the raw vulnerability Mark had displayed all across his face because for the entire time that she had known Mark she had never seen him like this before. "What the hell did Diana do to you?"

Mark couldn't help but scoff at Carolyn's reference to his biological mother, and that's all she would ever really be to Mark…a woman who gave birth to him and nothing else. "Diana didn't _do _anything".

"Oh she did something alright, but that's not the problem…the problem's more about the fact that what she _did _wasn't what you _needed_", and before Carolyn had a chance to say anything else her cell phone began ringing. "I better get that" Carolyn sheepishly stated as she picked up her phone and proceeded to walk out into the hallway.

Mark watched Carolyn leave the room and couldn't help wondering if things would have been different, if his mother had been _less_ like Diana Sloan and _more _like Mrs. Shepherd then would he be more put together like Derek. Would all of this with Lexie be a hell of a lot easier to deal with? Mark could feel his eyelids begin to drop; he was dead tired and really felt like he could sleep the rest of his life away.

"That was Lizzie…" Carolyn was saying as she walked back into the living room; however she immediately stopped as she saw Mark stretched out across the couch with his arms folded across his chest and fast asleep. Carolyn couldn't help but smile at the sight of him because if she knew one thing, it was that sleep was the place Mark could be without torturing himself. Silently she retreated from the room and turned off all the lights in the living room and in the hallway before she made her way up the stairs to the spare room that Derek had told her earlier that she could have.

*************

"Hey" Meredith greeted Derek with a huge grin on her face as they both began to climb the stairs of the front porch, "you just getting home from the hospital?"

Derek looked liked he was about to drop dead on the floor right then and there, with a smirk he nodded his head, "yeah, where have you been?"

"Christina and I were at Joe's….she needed her person" Meredith explained alluding to Owen and Christina's dismal relationship.

Derek nodded in silence as Meredith went to open the front door, however his head snapped up as he recalled the minor detail about his mother. "Meredith" Derek called out as he grabbed a hold of her hand which was a few inches away from turning the knob. "My mother's here"

"Here where" Meredith asked with a look of concern of her face as she looked around the porch as if Carolyn Shepherd was about to pop out and surprise her.

"In the house" Derek explained as he looked at the porch window, "although it looks like she's already gone to bed".

"Mama Shepherd's here and you _didn't _think to even tell me that she was coming" Meredith snapped, suddenly having this urge to run for the hills. While Meredith Grey may be evolving to the point where she was ready for marriage, she was no where near ready to deal with parental figures.

"Relax Meredith, she's here because of me and Mark, not because of me and you" Derek explained as he swatted Meredith's hand away and opened the front door.

As the two of them entered the pitch black house Derek began to climb the stairs up to their bed, while Meredith turned on the light in the hallway so she could head for the kitchen. "Derek" Meredith called out as she stoped in the middle of the hallway, looking at what it was exactly that had caught her eye.

Derek came stomping back down the stairs like a little kid, muttering to himself about how he was never going to get any sleep tonight. "What?" he asked as he stood next to Meredith with a rather confused and tired look on his face.

"What is he doing on my couch…why is _Sloan _sleeping on my couch?" Meredith asked with a clearly displeased look on her face.

Derek shrugged at Meredith's question "who knows, he probably fell a sleep while talking to mom", Derek commented as he started to head back in the direction he came from.

"So wake him up" Meredith insisted as she tugged on Derek's arm to stop him from going anywhere.

"Meredith Mark had a really long day and besides his a sleep, you can't honestly expect me to wake him up at two o'clock in the morning and kick him out" Derek commented hesitantly because he really wasn't in the mood to argue with Meredith about Mark.

"Yes" Meredith stated adamantly with her hands on her hips.

Derek on the other hand shook his head in disbelief and began to walk away from her. "Derek" Meredith called out in a whisper as she caught up to him at the base of the staircase.

"Meredith he needs a home" Derek explained as he towered over her due to the fact that was standing on a few steps higher up from her.

"He has a home…" Meredith began to protest but was cut off as Derek began to shake his head profusely.

"That's a _hotel room, _it's not a home, this is a home and right now Mark needs this…he needs _me"_ Derek argued back in a whisper so as not to wake Mark up.

"Derek…"

"Look Meredith if _I_ have to put up with Christina coming in and out of our house at ungodly times of the day and crawling into our bed with us, then _you _can put up with Mark sleeping on the _couch _for one night" Derek whispered back.

"Christina's my person" Meredith retorted giving Derek a look like he was an idiot.

"Yeah well Mark's my person and I'm his, and lately I haven't been a really good person to him so if he wants to sleep on the couch then he can sleep on the damn couch. Frankly I'd rather that he was here then alone in some hotel room" Derek snapped, however his demeanour changed the instant that he saw the hurt look on Meredith's face.

Derek let out a sigh of frustration and took a few steps down before he cupped his hands around Meredith's face. "When I first moved in here you told me that I couldn't expect you to kick Izzie and Alex out because they're your family just like Christina and George are. Well Mark's my family…his my brother and you can't expect me to kick him out" Derek gently explained to Meredith as he leant forward and softly kissed her on the lips before running up the stairs so that they couldn't argue about this anymore.

Meredith made her way back over to the doorway of the living room and watched Mark who was currently fast asleep with his back to her. Meredith shook her head in disbelief, she knew that Derek was right, she knew that she had no right to ask Derek to kick Mark out…but a part of her would just never understand what it was that made those two friends. Slowly and gently Meredith made her way over to the couch and despite herself she reached out to grab a hold of the blanket that was draped across the back of the chair before covering Mark with it so he wouldn't be cold. Silently watching a now covered Mark sound a sleep Meredith shook her head in disbelief at herself and went in search of Derek.

*************

Not even half an hour later Lexie tried to quietly sneak into the house so as not to wake anyone up, and just as she was about to climb the stairs Lexie couldn't help but notice the light shining out of the corner of her eye. Thinking that Meredith or Derek had forgotten to turn the light off Lexie made her way over to the light switch, only she froze at what she saw before her.

Lexie couldn't seem to get her hand and her head to co-operate because she was glued to the sight of Mark sleeping on Meredith's couch, slowly Lexie made her way over to him and sat down in front of him on the coffee table. She didn't want to wake him because she knew how precious sleep meant to Mark considering that he got so very little of it…she just wanted to take it in. To take in the appearance of a peacefully sleeping Mark Sloan because Lexie had this nagging feeling that she wouldn't get the opportunity to lie next to him and simply watch him sleep anymore.

However it seemed like Lexie had no control over what she was doing because at that moment, not knowing what on earth possessed her, Lexie leant forward and gently stroked the top of Mark's head before slowly and gently leaning down to give him a soft kiss on the side of his temple. As she pulled away from him Lexie stroked his hair one more time before faintly whispering "I love you Mark Sloan". Despite the fact that Mark was sound asleep and had no clue about what Lexie had just said she felt like a weight had been taken off her shoulders, it was as though finally saying the words out loud suddenly made her feel lighter. With a small smile on her face Lexie began to walk back out of the room and towards her own bed, only Lexie was so focused on not waking Mark up that she didn't even notice the minor detail of Mark having heard exactly what she had said and was now watching her leave the room.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"There was an emergency at the hospital" Lexie heard being called out as she stood there stairing at the empty couch which Mark had been sleeping on only a few hours ago. A small sense of disappointment ate away at Lexie because now her plan of talking to Mark was shot to hell.

Carolyn could see the disappointment etched onto Lexie's face and offered a sympathetic smile, "why don't you come into the kitchen and have some breakfast" Carolyn asked as she walked over to Lexie.

"Oh no, I'm not really big on…." Lexie began to protest but was forced to stop as Carolyn placed her arm around Lexie's shoulder and steered her in the direction of the kitchen. "Ok then" Lexie mumbled as she fixed her eyes on Carolyn's handy work. It was silly and Lexie knew it but as she sat down at the bar stool and took in the smell of all the food Lexie couldn't help but be reminded of her mother. Cooking had always been one of Susan's favourite things to do, Lexie remembered asking her once how she could even be bothered cooking every day. She also remembered how Susan had laughed at her question, telling her that she loved to do it because it meant she was taking care of her family. Lexie was trying hard to hold back the tears and just as she thought her defenses were about to slip Carolyn interrupted.

"Well I cooked all this food because I thought we could have a nice family breakfast, but my sons shot out of here like bats out of hell and Meredith's still asleep. So it looks like it's just you and me Lexie" Carolyn stated as she placed a plate of scrambled eggs in front of her along with a glass of fresh juice.

Lexie knew that she should tell Carolyn about her allergy to eggs but she didn't have the heart to do it, not with the disappointed look already on her face because Mark and Derek had left for work.

"Dig in" Carolyn instructed to Lexie with an excited look on her face and Lexie could only bring herself to smile as she fiddled with her fork.

Lexie began pushing the eggs around on the plate with her fork, she could feel Carolyn burning a whole into her as she stood there waiting for Lexie to take a bite. Reluctantly Lexie picked up a piece of egg on to her fork and just as she was about to take a bite she felt the fork being ripped from here hand.

"Meredith?" Carolyn asked with a concerned look on her face.

"She's allergic to eggs" Meredith stated as she dropped the fork on to the plate and then took the plate away from Lexie.

Carolyn watched Meredith as she carried the plate of eggs over to the kitchen stove and then walk back towards the direction of the hallway to retrieve her coat. Carolyn then turned her attention back to Lexie who sat there with a sheepish smile on her face as she shrugged helplessly, because she didn't really know what to say. "What on earth were you thinking young lady? The last thing I need is to have to take you into the emergency room…and how do you suppose I would have explained to Mark why his _girlfriend _was brought in with anaphylactic shock?"

"I really am sorry Mrs. Shepherds, it's just that you worked so hard to make all this food and you were already upset about Mark and Derek…I didn't want to upset you".

Carolyn smiled sweetly at Lexie as she made her way around the kitchen bench and embraced Lexie in a hug. "Sweetheart I'd rather you be honest with me than try to please my by killing yourself".

Just as Lexie opened her mouth to speak she was forced to close it again at the sound of a buzzing noise coming from the direction of the laundry. "Hold that thought, I had some washing that needed to be done" Carolyn informed Lexie as she made her way over to the laundry.

As Carolyn entered the laundry Meredith entered the kitchen fully dressed with her coat and bag in hand, "where's Mama Shepherd?" Meredith asked as she filled her mug to go with coffee.

"She's doing laundry" Lexie explained as she took a sip of her fresh juice.

Meredith took in the sight of the food lying around the kitchen, "you know if I didn't know any better I'd swear to god that Izzie had been up all night cooking" Meredith stated as she stood in front of Lexie so she could screw the lid shut on her coffee.

"Mrs. Shepherd did this" Lexie offered with a shrug.

Meredith looked like her eyes were about to pop out of her head, "Mama Shepherd did all of _this_" Meredith asked as she her hand waved around the room. "This is what Derek grew up with?" Meredith looked to Lexie then back to the stove. "Derek does realise that the whole stepford wife dream has officially come to an end, his lucky if I can even boil water".

Lexie smirked at Meredith and shook her head, "trust me; he knows you're no Martha Stewart".

"Good…so I'm gonna get going" Meredith explained as she proceeded to make her way towards the kitchen door while Lexie began playing with her glass. But Meredith stopped in her tracks because she couldn't seem to find it in her to cross the threshold, "we don't do ex's" Meredith offered as she walked back over to Lexie.

"What?" Lexie asked with a confused look on her face.

"Derek told me what happened, and I'm guessing that the only reason you let that Reid guy kiss you was because he's an ex…so I'm telling you that people like us" Meredith repeated again as she pointed at herself, "don't do ex's. We get scared and we freak out because we've convinced ourselves that were not good enough in comparison to the competition...we believe that it's the inevitable thing for happy and smile people to eventually leave us dark and twisty ones".

"Derek's happy and smiley and he hasn't left you" Lexie said pointed out.

"_A, _that doesn't count because Derek's learnt to adjust and _b, _Derek's gone all dark and twisty on me to" Meredith countered back. Meredith ran her hand through her hair as she let out an exasperated sigh at her sister, "the fact that you need _me_ of all people to explain this to you tells me that you're clearly not ready for you own dark and twisty person let alone one as complicated as Mark Sloan". Meredith took a step closer towards Lexie, "right now Mark's freaking out, his freaking out that you're going to leave him for an ex-boyfriend because it's the inevitable…"

"Mark doesn't think that…" Lexie started to protest but Meredith held her hand up to stop her.

"Look there's only one other woman that Mark Sloan's had…_deep _feelings about and she left him to go back to Derek. Now your ex has comeback into the picture willing and ready to fight for you…as far as Mark's concerned this is history repeating itself all over again, you're inevitably going to break up with him for an ex-boyfriend. So for Mark, breaking up with you is his way of protecting himself" Meredith explained hoping that Lexie finally understood what she was trying to say.

"He thinks I'm Addison" Lexie stated more as a statement to herself then as a question to Meredith.

Meredith merely shrugged at Lexie and repeated her point "people like us don't do ex's". Meredith looked down at her watch, "and now I'm going to be late meeting Christina" Meredith said in annoyance as she picked up her mug of coffee and made a beeline for the door.

Lexie pondered Meredith's comment for a minute; she couldn't help but wonder whether that was how Mark really saw her. Did he really see Addison Montgomery every time he looked at her, did he really believe that she would leave him for Jackson Reid.

"Wohoo, Lexie…" Carolyn called out in a singsong voice while she waved her hand in front of Lexie's face to try and get her attention.

Lexie quickly jumped in her seat, "Mrs. Shepherd…I'm so sorry, I must of…"

"Drifted off into another world" Carolyn offered for Lexie with a smile on her face, "it's perfectly fine. Besides you have a lot on your plate right now".

"Mark isn't a burden" Lexie jumped in defensively.

Carolyn furrowed her brows in Lexie's direction, "I never thought that. I…I just meant that…because you looked" Carolyn stated rather flustered with herself. Carolyn shook her head in disappointment at herself for making this a complete mess, taking a deep breath Carolyn decided to try this again. "Lexie I wasn't implying that being with Mark is a chore for you, please believe me that wasn't my intention at all. I'm just concerned for you because you had this far away look on your face".

"It's just something that Meredith said" Lexie explained with a rather occupied look on her face.

"What did Meredith say exactly?" Carolyn asked hesitantly as she took the empty seat next to Lexie.

Lexie knew that right now Carolyn Shepherd was probably her best option on figuring out how to deal with Mark, so honest was the only way to go, "that I'm Addison" Lexie admitted sheepishly.

Carolyn shook her head profusely at Lexie, "no, no, Lexie you are nothing like Addison and Mark knows that".

"Does he? Because the more I think about it the more Meredith's starting to make sense. I mean Mark loved Addison…really, really loved her and she left him to go back to Derek, so now Mark's convinced himself that I'm going to do the same thing and leave him for Jackson" Lexie replied rambling so quickly that Carolyn had to work double time just to keep up with her.

Carolyn cupped Lexie's cheeks in her hands to stop her from talking, "I'm not going to lie to you, Addison leaving Mark did hurt him…but he does not and I repeat _does not_ think that you are Addison" Carolyn explained.

"And…" Lexie asked Carolyn with a confused look on herself.

"And what?" Carolyn repeated with a blank look on her face.

Lexie shook her head as she got up from her seat to poor herself a cup of coffee. After taking a sip from the long needed caffeine Lexie turned her attention back to Carolyn, "you're telling me that after _at least _thirty years of experience with Mark Sloan that's all you got".

Carolyn had to smirk at Lexie's comment, in all her years as the head of the Shepherd household no one besides her own children had ever spoken to her like that before. And at that moment Carolyn decided that she would do everything in her power to help Lexie because Mark needed her, and more importantly she would make a splendid addition to the Shepherd family.

"Fight for him" Carolyn offered adamantly.

"Excuse me?" Lexie asked after managing to clear her throat from nearly choking on her coffee.

Carolyn shook her head in disbelief because it was beyond her understanding how two people like Lexie and Mark, who were so right for each other, were completely blind when it came to dealing with one another. "Meredith's right and as much as I hate to admit it Addison had quite a hold over both Derek and Mark...and it nearly destroyed them" Carolyn explained as she began moving around the kitchen so she could collect all the uneaten food.

"But they're good now...I mean they were until _I _came along and ruined everything" Lexie commented bleakly.

"Mark's a grown man and he can make his own decisions, besides the problems between those two were there long before you ever came into the picture".

"But Mark and Derek have moved on from Addison, Derek forgave Mark...didn't he?" Lexie asked as she spilt the rest of her now stone cold dark liquid down the drain.

"Of course he did, but who said any of this had anything to do with Addison" Carolyn cryptically answered Lexie as she opened the refrigerator in search of the milk.

"It doesn't?" Lexie asked as she leant against the kitchen sink with her arms folded across her chest.

With the carton of milk in her hand Carolyn closed the refrigerator door shut as she shook her head at Lexie, "sometimes I wonder how it's even remotely possible that the three of you even made _into _med school let alone _graduate_".

Lexie shrugged her shoulders with a smirk on her face, "you fake your way through it".

"That little trick doesn't seem to be working anymore...especially for Mark and Derek" Carolyn dryly commented as she poured herself a glass of milk. "Look the two of them have been trying to avoid the elephant in the room for so long that they just don't know how to acknowledge it or the reality of it".

"And the reality being..." Lexie asked slowly.

Carolyn rolled her eyes as she looked up to the ceiling, "I swear sometimes it feels like I'm repeating myself over and over again but nobody's listening" Carolyn stated more to herself than to Lexie. "Look" Carolyn suggested as she took a seat at the dining table and signalled Lexie to join her, "Diana and Carter Sloan were far from being the poster couple for perfect parenting...I mean there were times when I honestly believed that they would have sold their son if they could have. So when Derek and Mark met Derek felt this need to protect Mark...and Mark felt like he owed Derek something for letting him into his life..."

"Then Addison came along" Lexie jumped in.

"You know I was convinced that there was absolutely nothing in this entire world that could tear Mark and Derek apart, then one thanksgiving Derek brought Addison home for the holidays. And from the moment I met her I knew that she would be nothing but trouble for my boys" Carolyn explained as she took a sip of her half drunken milk.

"Mark never meant to betray Derek" Lexie spoke up in Mark's defence.

"I know that and even Derek knows that, and that's the part that had hurt Derek the most. He knew that Mark's betrayal had nothing to do with him or their friendship...it was all about Mark".

"Now you've lost me" Lexie answered honestly, because suddenly the idea of figuring out Mark Sloan was a bigger job than she ever imagined.

Carolyn couldn't help but laugh at Lexie, "my dear if you have any hope of surviving in the Shepherd family then you really need to learn how to keep up".

Lexie dropped her head to try and hide the smile forming on her lips as she could feel her cheeks going bright red from blushing, "who said anything about marriage?"

Carolyn gave Lexie a look that screamed _oh come on_, "please a woman who puts this much work into a man as complicated as Mark Sloan does it for the prize at the end of it all".

Lexie couldn't help but scoff at Carolyn's insinuation that Lexie was doing all of this because she saw a future with Mark, she did see a future but that wasn't the point, the point here was Mark. "I think getting Mark to say the words _I love you_ would be a far stretch let alone him getting down on one knee and proposing".

"Don't sell yourself short; Mark loves you he just doesn't know how to say not to mention even showing it...his scared".

"Of what, I mean it's not...." Lexie began to say but suddenly stopped as the realisation of what Carolyn had meant by her words earlier hit Lexie head on. "He's afraid I'm going to leave him...just like Addison did".

Carolyn solemnly nodded her head with her lips pursed together, "Addison was the first woman he loved and the first woman to show him any kind of affection, but she went back to Derek...back to her ex. So as far as Mark's concerned why would he bother trying to put himself out there if in the end they all end up leaving? In Mark's mind women walking away from him is the inevitable, he expects it" Carolyn explained. She then reached across and clutched Lexie's hand and squeezed it tightly, "but staying, sticking around and fighting for him...that throws a curveball into Mark's whole theory about himself and he won't know how to deal with that, but I'm sure between the two of you that you can work something out. So I need you to stick around, I need you to _fight _for him because my guts telling me that if Mark can't make it work with you then he never will".

Lexie was stunned to say the least by Carolyn's confession; her head was beginning to run a million miles ahead of her that she couldn't even collect her thoughts together. Essentially Carolyn Shepherd was telling Lexie that Mark's entire happiness rested in her hands...and truth be told Lexie liked that idea; she liked the idea that she was the only woman who could ever make Mark Sloan truly happy. But there was still this nagging doubt inside the back of her head, telling her that it was hopeless, "how can I fight for Mark...fight for _us_ when Mark doesn't even trust me".

Carolyn rose from her chair so she could rinse out her empty glass, "Mark trusts _you _Lexie the problem here is that Mark doesn't trust Mark. Mark doesn't trust himself, he doesn't believe that he has anything good to offer you that would be worth sticking around for and more importantly he doesn't trust that he could make you as happy as this Jackson boy could".

Just as Lexie was about to tell Carolyn how that was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard in her entire life she was interrupted by the sound of her own pager going off. Sheepishly looking from her pager to Carolyn Lexie rose from her seat, "I'm sorry there's a..."

"Go" Carolyn waved Lexie off, "I'm used to having my children walk out on me half way through a conversation...I'm actually beginning to forget what a having a _whole _conversation sounds like" Carolyn explained with a small chuckle.

Lexie quickly dashed over to Carolyn and gave her a hug, and for a split second it felt like Lexie had a mother again...someone she could talk to about her life without all the judging and backhanded comments. However the moment was short lived by the sound of Lexie's pager going off again, "go save lives" Carolyn instructed with a smile on her face as she patted Lexie on the back.

Lexie simply pulled away from Carolyn and gave a quick nod of her head before making a mad dash out the door. As Carolyn watched Lexie leave she couldn't help but be consume by a sense of security, a sense that everything would work itself out for the best and that pretty soon she could finally stop worrying about Mark.

**********

Lexie found herself staring into thin air as she went over her conversation with Carolyn Shepherd for the millionth time while waiting for the elevator; she knew that Carolyn was right. She knew that she had to convince Mark that she wasn't going anywhere and that she believed in them more than he could even imagine, but the problem was _how_, how was she to convince Mark of that. Suddenly Lexie was brought back to reality by the sound of the elevator doors opening only to reveal Mark standing there next to Callie, talking about what she had no clue. Hesitantly Lexie stepped onto the elevator and as she did all noises coming out of Mark's mouth came to a complete stop while Callie was desperately wishing that she was anywhere else but there.

The moment that the elevator doors closed on the three surgeons the tension between the Attending and the Intern was so thick that Callie was convinced she could slice it with a scalpel. Lexie on the other hand was thinking about how she was unable to press the button for the floor she wanted without leaning past Callie and more importantly Mark, and then suddenly Lexie was hit with an idea...with a way to make her point to Mark loud and clear.

Lexie quietly began to put her plan into action as she slowly walked around Callie from behind her so that she could press the level six button; unfortunately for Mark Lexie did this while making sure that she brushed up against him side, softly and slowly. Mark on the other hand seemed to have no self control as his entire body reacted to the sensation of having Lexie brush up against him, he was forced to close his eyes while trying to willing himself to think of anything else but the feeling of Lexie against him, he was in pure agony. As she pulled back she gently whispered "sorry" in his ear in the same manner she would usually whisper things to him during sex and then began to seductively walk back to her spot beside Callie.

Callie having seen the whole thing looked back and forth between the Attending and the Intern that she was stuck in between, shook her head in disbelief at the two as she quickly leant across Mark and began incessantly jabbing the button for the next floor, telling herself that she in no way wanted to be stuck in this elevator if the two of them started going at it.

"Will you stop that" Mark barked with a clenched jaw and a scowl written all across his face. Lexie wasn't sure if he is talking to Callie or her, but more importantly she wasn't sure if Mark's change in demeanour was because of what she did or because essentially Callie would be leaving him alone with her. Lexie couldn't help but feel all giddy inside if it was the latter of the two because if it was then that meant that she still had a hold of Mark and that it wasn't too late.

Callie on the other chooses to ignore Mark's request and continued to tap the button for level four, having had enough Mark swatted Callie's hand away and gave her a menacing look. Lexie having watched Mark out of the corner of her eye couldn't help but smile as she knew how much Mark hated it when people did that.

"I thought you were going to talk to Atlanta" Mark asked while being rather short with Callie.

Callie rolled her eyes at Mark because she knew that he was purposely getting her name wrong, Mark was protective of his friends and he'd only begin to call her by her correct name once he was convinced that she wouldn't hurt Callie...and frankly how could Callie be mad at that. With a smirk on her face Callie turned to Mark, "_Arizona_ is in surgery, besides I just remembered that I have this thing that I have to see Bailey about".

Mark furrowed his brows in Callie's direction, "what thing?"

"A thing Mark, I have a thing and Bailey has a thing...so we're doing our thing together".

"That sounds dirty" Mark reply's with a smirk on his face.

Callie shook her head at Mark while trying to stop a smile from coming out, "everything sounds dirty to you".

Before Mark could respond Callie was able to make her escape as the elevator doors opened up, waving at the two Callie jumped out before Mark had a chance of keeping her on.

The instant that the doors closed Mark could feel the tension coming back, he didn't know what to do and that caged animal feeling was starting to stir inside of him. Two days ago Mark would have known exactly what to do with Lexie inside an elevator that they had all to themselves. Mark quickly shook his head and chastised himself for thinking like that because he had no right to anymore, sure he may have heard her say I love you but as far Mark was concerned that didn't really count…not when she only said it because she thought he was asleep.

Lexie could see Mark struggling on inside not to act on his feelings, and right now Lexie really wished that Mark would revert back to the ways old Mark Sloan…the Mark Sloan that would have gone with his initial reaction to her evil tactics.

The smile on Lexie's lips clearly told Mark that Lexie enjoyed watching him squirm or at the most that she was up to something. Scratch that Mark was _certain _that Lexie was up to something because he had seen that smile a million times before…on him, and for the first time that Mark could think of the tables had been turned on him.

Lexie slowly began to make her way towards Mark who inturn quickly began to retreat in an attempt to maintain some semblance of self-control and distance but in a split second Mark found himself cornered inside an empty elevator, all alone with nothing but an intern pressed up against. "Lexie…" Mark protested in a hoarse whisper.

"Shut up" Lexie demanded as her hands moved through his hair and down his back, drawing him closer towards her. Lexie knew that this was the only chance that Mark was ever really going to give her to prove to him that he meant something; she had to make it count. Before giving him a chance to walk away Lexie quickly and quietly sprung on to her tip toes as she kissed him passionately, sweeping her tongue through his mouth. Throwing everything she had…everything she felt for him into this one kiss, Lexie prayed that Mark would understand how much he meant to her, that he'd understand that she wasn't walking away from him. As though working on autopilot Lexie slowly pulled away from Mark as she traced his jaw with light feathered kisses until she reached the corner of his mouth.

Lexie crushed her mouth against his once again in a desperate and hungry kiss; Mark's mind became a ball of haze. He knew that he had to put a stop to this…he had to stop her, but he couldn't, Mark just couldn't seem to get his head and the rest of his body to co-operate. At least not right now…not when all he could think about was how she made him feel at this very moment…he was helpless.

A part of Lexie was struggling with the fact that Mark wasn't as active in this as she would have liked him to be, yet another a part of her felt unbelievable joy because she could sense him. She could sense how much Mark was fighting this, trying to maintain control and that was the part that was killing her the most. Knowing that she could get that kind of reaction out of a man like Mark Sloan did something for the ego, not that any of this had anything to do with an ego boost.

As they pulled away from the lack of oxygen the feeling of Lexie's breath tickling the side of his neck was not helping Mark in his bid not to lose control, despite the fact that this head and the rest of his body had different views on the matter. "Little Grey what are you doing" Mark whispered softly into Lexie's ear after managing to pull together at least one coherent thought.

Running her finger down the side of Mark's cheek, Lexie couldn't help by smile at him as she looked into his blues eyes. "Fighting for _us", _Lexie explained in a rather frank whisper as they both heard the sound of the elevator ping. Unfortunately for Mark before he even had a chance to respond the elevator doors opened to reveal both Dr. Bailey and the Chief waiting to step inside. Lexie smiled at Mark coyly one more time before turning her attention to the other two Attendings. "Dr. Bailey, Chief" Lexie greeted them both with a nod of her head and a smile on her face before stepping off the elevator and squeezing past the two Attendings so that she could make her escape.

Both Bailey and the Chief looked back and forth between Mark and Lexie before stepping onto the elevator. While Richard didn't notice or at least refused to notice, Miranda could clearly see that Mark was uncomfortable…uncomfortable where exactly she didn't want to know. Bailey shook her head in dismay as she watched the numbers on top of the elevator door light up each time they moved a floor higher. The Chief tried to hold back the laugh that was trying to escape from inside him, while Mark shifted on his feet as he was starting to feel very claustrophobic. Mark quickly began repeatedly pressing the button for the next floor as though his life depended on him getting off that lift.

"Will you stop that" Miranda barked with a pointed glare at the Plastic surgeon standing beside her, just in the same manner as Mark had done to Callie earlier before.

Mark thanked whatever god was on his side as in that split second the elevator doors opened up, Mark quickly nodded at both doctors and made a quick escape off the elevator. Unfortunately for Mark it wasn't quick enough as he clearly heard Miranda Bailey commenting, "nasty, nasty doctors is what we got going around here….doctors doing things inside elevators that they shouldn't be, it's just nasty". Mark could feel his cheeks beginning to go red as he made a beeline for the nearest on-call room.

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_Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story so far, and please keep them coming…come on I know you want to ___


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"You did a great job in there Dr. Grey", Derek offered his praises to Lexie as he rubbed his hand through his hair after removing his surgical cap.

"Thank you Dr. Shepherd" Lexie responded with absolute joy because for the first in a long time things felt good between her and Derek. Lexie froze awkwardly for a second or two, uncertain whether to say anything else or to simply leave. Deciding that the latter option was probably the best way to go Lexie informed Derek that she'd complete Mrs. Lyons' post op charts.

"Lexie…" Derek called out before she had a chance to make her escape.

"Was there anything else Dr. Shepherd?" Lexie asked innocently, assuring herself that whatever else Derek had to say to her was purely on a professional level.

"I had no right" Derek stumbled out, saying sorry had never really been one of Derek's strong suits…or Mark's for that matter and Derek couldn't help but smile at that thought. As he looked at Lexie he could see the blank expression on her face as she stood there with her hands crossed against her chest. "I mean…I had no right to interfere between you and Mark. It wasn't my place to tell you what to do like I did yesterday, I just don't want to see him get hurt" Derek explained with a pleading look in his eye for Lexie to understand.

Lexie let her arms fall to her side as she stepped forward, "you should always tell me what to do…well _not _always, just when it comes to Mark. Because honestly sometimes I think I'm just feeling my way through the dark and I have no clue what I doing".

Derek couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at Lexie, "you learn to adapt, you learn to see in the dark…if you want to that is" Derek commented, but it came off more as a question than as advice.

"I'm _determined _to learn how to see in the dark" Lexie quickly explained to Derek with a smile on her face.

Derek let out a sigh of relief; it felt as though a weight had just been lifted off his shoulders knowing that Mark has someone else in his corner. Derek loved being in Mark's corner, it's just…sometimes it can get a little bit lonely by yourself and Mark knew that better than anyone. Before Derek even had a chance to respond Mark came charging through the scrub room door looking like a man on a mission, but suddenly Mark stopped dead in his tracks only inches away from Lexie.

"Dr. Grey" Mark greeted Lexie with the most professional attitude that Mark could muster, in that instant Derek knew that something was going on because Mark looked like he was ready to run and hide. He had that same look on his face all the interns have whenever they see Mark heading in their direction, not to mention that his jaw was clenched so tight that Derek could have sworn he saw it twitching.

"Dr. Sloan" Lexie greeted Mark with a seductive smile, the smile she always used whenever things got a beat to steamy between the two of them. "Well I have a patient to check on" Lexie offered as an excuse so that the men could talk alone, unfortunately for Mark Lexie made sure that her fingertips lightly brushed the side of Mark's forearm which sent goosebumps down his entire body.

Derek couldn't stop smiling as he watched the whole thing in front of him, for the first time since Derek could remember the tables were being turned on Mark Sloan at his own game and he was freaking out. Mark liked predictability, he liked knowing that he could have any woman he wanted and he particularly liked knowing that his sly, seductive charm could literally make any woman go weak at the knees. Know all of the sudden Mark was the one going weak at the knees, even if he refused to admit it, "I think you taught to her too well" Derek commented as he turned to wash his hands.

Mark's head snapped up at the sound of Derek's comment, but Mark was quick to reassure himself that Derek couldn't possibly know about their first night together because the only one who knew was Callie. _Unless Lexie told him_ Mark said to himself, but he was quick to shake that thought from his head as well knowing that Lexie would never discuss something as private as that with Derek. "She's killing me" Mark explained in a serious tone of voice as he leant against the scrub sink with his arms folded across his chest.

Derek turned his attention to Mark as he shook his head in disbelief, however Mark seemed to be off in his own little world thinking about god only knows what. "She's torturing me, that's what she's doing, death by torture…sexual torture. She wants to see how long it takes before I break" Mark stated as he continued to stare into thin air as he replayed the events that went on inside the elevator in his head.

Derek began walking out of the scrub room and stopped in his tracks as he noticed that Mark wasn't behind him, instead Mark was still leaning against the scrub sink caught up in his thoughts. Derek made his way back over towards Mark, "hey you coming or what?" Derek asked as he threw his scrub cap at Mark in order to help him snap out of it.

"Huh?" Mark questioned as he shook his head and came back to reality.

"I said are you coming…or are you planning on spending your day with all the scrub nurses?" Derek asked with a proud smile on his face because despite the fact that Mark was still unwilling to admit it those days were long gone, there was only _one _woman that Mark Sloan had any desire for and Derek couldn't help be feel a sense of pride on behalf of Mark.

"Yeah I'm coming" Mark called out to Derek who had already made his way over to the elevator doors.

As Derek stepped inside the elevator, he held the doors opened as he waited for Mark to finally catch up with him. As Mark finally arrived he suddenly froze just as he was about to step in. "What's the matter with you?" Derek asked with a concerned look on his face.

"No Grey's allowed on this elevator" Mark ordered with a very serious look on his face.

Derek opened his mouth with the intention to say something but quickly closed it again because he had no idea what to say. "Ok…no Grey's" Derek agreed as he watched Mark step on to the elevator. Suddenly it was as if a light bulb went off in his head and Derek smiled as he turned to Mark, "So it looks like both Grey's have a thing for elevators" Derek commented to Mark who gave him a pointed look as the elevator doors closed in on them.

****************

"It's not funny" Mark barked at Derek as they walked up to the nurse's desk after having informed Derek of what had happened inside the elevator.

"Oh yes it is" Derek said with a smile on his face as he looked down at the chart lying on the desk in front of him.

"You suck" Mark argued back like a six year old, Derek suddenly had an image of a six year old Mark stomping his feet with his arms crossed over his chest and pouted lips, this only caused Derek to let out a full blown laugh.

"Well I'm certainly happy that my pain could bring some pleasure into your otherwise boring and mundane life" Mark offered with an irritated look on his face.

"I'm not laughing _at _you, I'm laughing at the fact that you think that I _want _to hear about how my soon-to be-sister mauled you inside an elevator".

"She didn't _maul _me" Mark retorted defensively in Lexie's favour because the last thing he wanted was for Derek to think that Lexie couldn't control herself.

Derek looked up at the ceiling, feigning contemplation and then looked back at Mark. "You're right, it's not exactly as though you weren't a willing participant...I mean let's face it the words _Mark, Lexie, can't and sex_ are _a _not in your vocabulary and _b_ four words that do _not _belong in the same sentence" Derek joked with Mark.

Mark light-heartedly punched Derek on his upper arm, and before Derek had a chance to fight back they were interrupted by the sound of Meredith's voice, "so he slept on my couch and know you two are hitting each other…does this mean you're talking again?" Meredith asked with a hesitant look on her face.

Derek turned to Mark and gave him a confused, "when were we _not _talking?"

With a smile on his face Mark shrugged his shoulders, "beats me, why don't you ask the soon to be mrs over there because she seems to be tracking your every move".

"Well at least she doesn't maul me inside elevators" Derek retorted back as both men ignored Meredith who was standing right beside them.

"You wish" Mark bit back to which the only response he got out of Derek was a flick behind the ear, something that Derek knew Mark hated ever since they were little kids. "You're pathetic and I am a lesser man for knowing you" Mark stated as he began to walk away from Derek while messaging his sore ear.

"Hey that's my line, you can't use my line!" he yelled out to Mark's retreating back, while Mark waved a dismissive hand in the air.

Smiling and laughing at how easy things had just flowed between him Mark and as though they didn't have a care in the world felt good to Derek. He missed that and all of the sudden he didn't care what is was that they were fighting about earlier on, all he cared about right now was making sure that it never happened again. Turning his head with a huge grin on his face he was greeted with a serious look on Meredith's face. He was in a good mood; he just got his best friend back and was pretty certain that said best friend wasn't that far from correcting certain mistakes and he really didn't want Meredith ruining that. Collecting the charts that were in front of him Derek gave Meredith a quick peck on the cheek, "I have to go find O'Malley" Derek explained reminding himself that he really needed to talk to O'Malley about his interns and their charting.

Meredith however had other ideas and side stepped in front of Derek before he had a chance at making an escape, "you didn't answer my question…are you two friends now?"

It was in that second that Derek's mood went from being on top of the world to falling flat on the ground, Derek knew that is was useless fighting with Meredith on this or trying to walk away from her. "Meredith me and Mark have been friends since we were eight years old…"

"So what does that have to do with anything?" Meredith asked defensively.

Derek shook his head in disappointment, because while Meredith had evolved in so many different ways over the last year or so there was still some things that Meredith still couldn't get. "Meredith when two people have known each other for as long as Mark and I have you get to a certain point in your relationship were running around in circles gets old. We're tired of running in circles, so we've decided to skip all the crap in between and get straight to the part where everything is back to normal" Derek explained as he quickly tried to make a run for it again.

"But he lied to you!" Meredith protested as she cut Derek off again by blocking his way so he couldn't run.

"Yes Meredith he lied!" Derek proclaimed exasperated at the woman he loved, how she could make him love her and infuriate him at the same time was beyond him. "But I've moved on from that…we've _both _moved on from that, and now that I've had some time to think about it I've come to realise that I was wrong. I had no right telling Mark to 'keep little Sloan away from little Grey', I had no right to tell Mark who he can and can't date…"

"But Derek…"

"No Meredith, there is no buts about this ok, I should _never_ have gotten involved in the first place and more importantly _you _should never have asked me to" Derek explained as he put his hands together in a pleading gesture. "Meredith I love you and I know that we don't see eye to eye when it comes to Mark but I'm begging you to please try and accept it…"

"Accept it" Meredith repeated sceptically because she was pretty sure where Derek was going with this.

"Yes…accept the fact that Mark **is **and **always **will be a part of my life and he will be the one standing up there beside me as my best man the day we get married. Accept the idea of Mark and Lexie being together because they are and personally I don't see that ending anytime soon. More importantly you also need to accept the fact that you don't get to use me anymore…you don't get to use my relationship with Mark to manipulate your relationship with Lexie or hers with Mark. You need to learn how to start talking to your sister because from now on _I'm out_…so I'm begging you to please, please, please just _try _and give Mark a chance. Meredith if you do I swear to you that the only thing that's going to happen is that you're going to realise Mark is definitely someone you want in your corner" Derek pleaded with Meredith as he gave her a tender kiss on her lips before quickly darting out of there before Meredith could argue anymore.

*****************

"Looking for something" Lexie asked with a sly smile on her face as she leant against the door frame and taking in the view of Mark's but as he was bent over in search of something.

Mark instantly jumped at the sound of her voice and hit the back of his head against one of the shelves as he did so. Rubbing the back of his head Mark gave Lexie a pointed look, "didn't anyone ever tell you that it's rude to sneak up on people".

Lexie rushed over to Mark's side and reached out to run her fingertips softly against the back of his head where he had hit it. Without even realising what she was doing Lexie began to slowly stroke his hair as her eyes locked with Marks. Just looking into his deep blue eyes always managed to send Lexie into a spin as a shive ran down her spine, she loved the feeling of it because no matter how may times it would happen it always felt like something new and exciting.

Mark reached out and clasped Lexie's wrist to stop her hand from moving, "don't do that" Mark whispered pleadingly.

"Why does it hurt" Lexie asked with a look of panic in her eyes.

Mark shook his head, "no…however it is very unprofessional of you to be cornering me inside a supply closet…or an elevator for that matter" Mark explained with as much control as he could muster.

"I'm not stalking you if that's what you think, I cam in here because I needed an IV line for Mrs. Lyons" Lexie stated with a sly smile on her face. "Now as for before…" Lexie lingered as she stepped forward and began to stroke the side of Mark's cheek.

Mark willed himself to be strong as he stepped away again, it was killing him to do this to her but Mark also knew that if he had any chance of surviving this then he needed to make a clean break. "You…_we _can't do this anymore you got that, I set you free so go be free…and find some other Attending to torture" Mark barked as he began to make his way out of the supply closet, completely forgetting why he went in there in the first place.

"Mark!" Lexie called out to him, pleading for him to just stand still for one second and listen to what she had to say. Lexie tried to hold back the tears, she didn't want him to see her this way but she could also feel the moisture in her eyes beginning to build up.

Mark reluctantly turned on his heels to be greeted with a desolate look on Lexie's face; he could also tell that she was trying to force herself not to cry. It felt like someone had just stabbed him in the heart and as much as Mark wanted nothing more than to engulf Lexie in a huge embrace and tell her what an idiot his been he knew he couldn't.

Lexie tried to speak but she couldn't trust herself to say anything without turning into a pile of goo, swallowing hard once or twice to try and get rid of the lump in her throat Lexie somehow managed to find the words. "Mark if you're pushing me away because you don't want to be with me anymore or because you've had your fun and now you're ready to move on", Lexie tried to steady herself as she spoke the next few words, "then I'll understand. I won't lie to you…it'll hurt like hell and they're will be days when I'd rather crawl under a rock and never come out than have to see you and know that I can't be with you…but I'll understand. But if you're doing this because you think it's the only way to protect yourself from me…from getting hurt, and because you've got this stupid idea in your head that I'm better off without you then you can stop. Because I am not going anywhere Mark Sloan" Lexie explained as she made her way over to Mark, Lexie cupped his face in her hands before giving into a long and sensuous kiss. A kiss that Mark finally allowed himself to enjoy for the first time today, he allowed himself to get caught up in the need and want of it. After finally pulling away from a lack of oxygen Lexie began to stroke Mark's cheek once again, "you can push as hard as you want Mark, but just so you know", Lexie paused because she wanted to be looking Mark straight in the eye as she said this, "I'll be pushing back and I'll keep fighting until you finally get the message that I'm not going anywhere…I'm not Addison. And Jackson…Jackson can do whatever he wants, he can try and pull whatever stunts he comes up with but there _never _going to work because I want _you_…you're the only man I will ever want". Lexie leant in and gave Mark a soft lingering kiss before pulling back again, she had a desperate need to say those three words but somehow inside the middle of a supply closet didn't seem all that right to Lexie. So Lexie chose the next best option and as she made her way towards the door she stoped for a second to look at Mark, "you need to trust me Mark…but more importantly you need to trust _you_ and when you do, you know where to find me" Lexie offered as she slowly made her way out of the supple closet leaving Mark to think it over.

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_Ok people, the way I see it, it's a two way street…you want updates, I want reviews so why don't you help a fellow writer out and I promise to make you day with another update asap i.e. within the next 48 hours :D_


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Lexie stood in front of the surgical board trying to memorise Mark's schedule, not that it was difficult with a photographic memory. After leaving the supply closet Lexie had decided that she needed to be more proactive in dealing with Mark…well more than she had been already, and more importantly it needed to be done _outside _the hospital walls. Lexie also came to the conclusion that if she really wanted Mark to take her seriously, if she really wanted him to believe that she was all in then she needed to say it.

She needed to bite the bullet and say those three little…ok _big_ words to Mark's face and _not _his sleeping back. Lexie knew that Mark would never be able to say the words first or possibly even at all, but Lexie had already come to accept that...she had come to accept the fact that Mark may never be able to say the words. But that wasn't what mattered to her right now, what mattered to Lexie was that Mark believed in her…that he believed she loved him. So Lexie had come up with a plan, a plan that mainly consisted of Lexie cornering Mark inside his hotel room, hence why she was standing in front of the surgical board and studying Mark's schedule. Lexie knew that Mark was probably freaking out right about now, and going over everything that had happened for the millionth time. She also knew that it wouldn't be long before he started avoiding her because he wouldn't have a clue how to deal with it all, so Lexie decided that she'd be waiting for him back at his hotel once he finally clocked off. _Ahh one of the perks of being an intern, no one expects you to perform surgeries at the drop of a hat_ Lexie thought to herself with a smile on her face.

Lexie was so consumed in her own little world, planning everything for the night's events down to a t that she didn't even notice Jackson heading towards hers. Callie on the other hand did and _that _got Lexie's attention. Because in a split second Callie Torres was standing in front of Lexie with her arms out to her sides, looking like she was about to perform a star jump, but was really trying to block the intern off from the big bad wolf. "Find your own intern Reid, this one's already taken" Callie ordered with a glaring look that screamed _don't you even think of messing with me _on her face.

"Technically she was mine in the first place" Reid retorted slyly, unfortunately for him that didn't go down to well with Callie who reached out and slapped him on the back of his head.

"No! No dirty talking with the interns, interns _don't _flirt dirtily" Callie explained as she looked over her shoulder at Lexie and then back at Reid. "Unless you're an Attending who goes by either the name McDreamy or McSteamy", Callie froze for a second as she looked Reid up and down. "And you my friend are neither dreamy _nor_ steamy" Callie commented with a rather wicked smile on her face.

Lexie tried to hold back a smile but she knew for a fact that she was failing miserably, the idea of Reid trying to even compete with Mark and Derek was funny enough on its own, but to watch Reid squirm because of Callie was icing on the cake.

Jackson on the other hand couldn't seem to quite fathom the cold tone that Callie had taken with him; all he knew was that there was currently a fellow Attending standing in the way of Lexie and him. "I just…" Jackson began to say as he tried to get a look at Lexie over Callie's shoulder; Callie on the other hand wouldn't have a bar of it and quickly stepped to the side so that she could completely block him off. Jackson rolled his eyes in annoyance and decided that trying to reason with Callie was his only option, "I just want to talk to her" Jackson explained pleadingly, "Lexie please".

Callie scoffed at Jackson's request as she crossed her arms over her chest in a defiant stance, "yeah I don't think so buddy, we all remember how your last 'talk' went down" Callie commented as she made air quotes with her fingers.

While Lexie wasn't as quick to respond as Callie she was however able to take a sneak peek over the Attendings shoulder at Jackson, and in that instant a cold shiver ran down Lexie's spine. She had seen that look before, truth be told Lexie had seen it more times than she was willing to count yet somehow even after four years she was still unable to turn away from it. Jackson had always had this wounded look about him, like a lost little boy who was helpless and in desperate need of rescuing…rescuing from himself more likely.

It wasn't that Lexie like the idea of being Jackson's saviour, she had been their and done that…but it was the fact that he knew exactly which buttons to push to get a certain reaction out of Lexie, something that only took Mark weeks to learn. Lexie knew that it was a bad idea, she knew that Mark wouldn't appreciate it or understand it and if she had any chance of proving to Mark that she was all in then she _had _to stop letting Jackson get to her like that. However Lexie also knew that if she passed up this opportunity she would spend the rest of life wondering _what if…_not that she ever could or would doubt her decision in Mark, but more like wondering what it was that Jackson thought he could have said to make up for all the pain he had caused her.

Lexie concentrated on a spot on the back of Callie's head as she struggled to make peace with the decision she had subconsciously already made in the last ten minutes. She knew that Callie wouldn't understand her decision and she also knew for a fact that if word got to Mark he too wouldn't understand, but this was something that Lexie just had to do. If Lexie was serious about Mark, if she was serious about making _them_ work then she needed to learn how to put the past with Jackson to rest, and the only way to do that was through communication. Taking a deep breath to steady herself for what might go down Lexie continued to stare at the back of Callie, she was convinced that if she stared at the back of Callie's head any longer then she'd burn a hole through it, "Dr. Torres I believe that Dr. Hunt needs you for a consult in the pit" Lexie spoke up for the first time.

Callie quickly turned on her heel to study Lexie cautiously, she wasn't entirely certain that Lexie knew what she was doing, but Callie knew if Lexie was ever going to make a relationship with Mark work then she needed to learn to stand on her own two feet. Claiming defeat Callie solemnly nodded her head, she knew for a fact that Dr. Hunt wasn't in need of her services for the fact that she had only spoken to him mere seconds before interrupting this little powwow, he'd said nothing about a consult. She also knew that this was Lexie's way of asking Callie to please leave while giving her a dignified exit, "Well Dr. Grey if _you _need me for a consult page me anytime…no matter what, and I'll be there" Callie informed Lexie, hoping that she understood that she had a friend in all of this and that if she needed to talk or any kind of help then she'd be there.

Callie began to walk away with her eyes fixed on Jackson the entire time, only to stop mere inches away from him. Callie finally tore her eyes away from Jackson and looked back over her shoulder at a nervous Lexie who was waiting and then back at Jackson. "No funny business, and remember that I work with bones for a living…and I _don't _just fix them", Callie offered with a mischievous look on her face.

Lexie couldn't help but smile at Callie's not so subtle threat, but it wasn't just the fact that Callie was trying to protect her. It was more because she knew Callie was doing this for Mark's sake, she was trying to protect Mark and Lexie loved seeing how protective people like Derek and Callie become when it came to Mark. Because it meant he was…so wrong about not having anybody. Lexie knew for a fact that Mark would always have _someone_ whether it was either one of his fellow Attendings or her.

Jackson watched Callie walk away with a confused look on his face, since the moment he had arrived at Seattle Grace Jackson felt like an outsider…not that he was there to make friends. But a part of him had hoped that they would at least show him an ounce of respect, if anything for the fact that he could show Lexie how much he had changed since four years ago. "What's her problem because I haven't even touched her" Jackson asked Lexie as he pointed his thumb over his shoulder in the direction that Callie just left.

Lexie chose to ignore that question, because if Jackson couldn't figure out why certain Attendings may be hostile towards him then that was his problem, not hers.

"Or maybe that's the problem" Jackson commented with a flirtatious smile.

Lexie shook her head in disbelief before berating herself for thinking that Jackson was even capable of one sincere thought. "You messed with her person" Lexie snapped, not really having the patience to put up with this kind of behaviour so she began to walk away.

"Woah, woah" Jackson yelled out as be sprinted ahead of Lexie to cut her off and gently touched her forearm to stop her from going anywhere. "Is that code for something…?"

Lexie stood there with her arms folded and a stern look on her face, hoping that Jackson would get the message that there would be no mocking of her friends. "No it is not _code _for something, it simply means that you messed with Mark and when you mess with Mark you mess with Callie".

"Her _person_" Reid repeated slowly, because he still wasn't quite sure what the hell that meant.

Lexie shook her head as she looked up at the ceiling for a second, "and this is why you'll never get it Jackson" Lexie exclaimed as she looked back down at him. "We all have a person around here…the _one _person that you can talk to about anything and everything, the one person that you know will always have your back. And Mark is Callie's person…her go to guy if she needs someone to talk to, or someone's shoulder to cry on, or someone that she just wants to have a good laugh with…Mark's her person"

"So who's you person then?" Reid asked with a degree of uncertainty because deep down he knew the answer already, but that didn't make it hurt any less.

"Mark"

"Thought so" Reid responded as he began to feel awkward and was looking at everything but Lexie.

Lex really couldn't stand all the silence anymore, she had had week's worth of no talking and she was in no rush to get back to that. Realising that she wasn't going to get what she wanted out of Jackson Lexie decided the best decision would be to walk away. But before Lexie could even so much as move a foot Jackson pulled a file out of his back pack, and it was in that second that Lexie realised that Jackson was dressed in a tight grey t-shirt with a brown leather jacket on top and faded blue jeans. "Why aren't you in your scrubs? You're operating on Mr. Reynolds in two hours".

"No I'm not" Jackson explained as his grip tightened on the file that was now residing in his hand.

"You're not…" Lexie asked hesitantly because she really didn't know what to else to say.

Reluctantly Jackson held out the file in his hand to Lexie, he had known from the minute he had made this decision that he was conceiting defeat but he had no other option. Jackson had to accept the fact that it was over, he had lost and he only had himself to blame for it. "This is Mr. Reynolds' file, with all of his pre op notes, medical history and anything else that might be needed".

Lexie hesitated in taking the file from Jackson, she had known him long enough to know that there were something's Jackson just could never take seriously, _they_ were always a game to him and she really didn't feel like being a part of his game anymore. "Is this the part where you blackmail me and tell me that you're refusing to do the surgery until I agree to have dinner with you?"

Reid couldn't help but smirk at Lexie as he shook his head, he knew that he deserved that and he also knew that Lexie would be sceptical of him. He had no illusion of Lexie doing a complete one-eighty on him and beg him to stay, he also knew that Lexie wouldn't be able to fully understand the gravity of finally put an ending to _them _until after he had left. "No tricks, games or stunts. Everything that Shepherd could possibly need in order to perform Mr. Reynolds' surgery is right here in this file" Jackson explained as he waved it in front of Lexie's face in the hopes that she would take it from him.

Lexie slowly took the file out of Jackson's hand while her eyes were glued to his face to see if there was even a hint of mischief…but to Lexie's surprise for the first time in a long time the only thing she saw looking back at here was complete sincerity. "Why are you giving this to me, shouldn't _you _be giving this to Dr. Shepherd?"

"I'm giving the file to _you _because I know for a fact that you're the only one that can convince Shepherd to do the surgery. You know Mr Reynolds' case inside out and you also know that Derek Shepherd is one of the best and how he works and that makes you the obvious choice to talk Shepherd off the ledge".

"You're also one of the best" Lexie stated defensively to Jackson.

Jackson couldn't help but smile at the sound of Lexie defending him; it was like the good old days where everything was great…_they _were great. Unfortunately for Jackson he had to come back down to planet earth and reality, sombrely shaking his head Jackson looked at the file in Lexie's hand and then back at her. "Mr. Reynolds chose Shepherd he didn't choose me, Mr. Reynolds had his choice of any hospital in this entire country and he chose Seattle Grace _because _of Shepherd…if he wanted me then he would have gone to Mass General".

"Der…Dr. Shepherd's just going through a bit of a rough patch" Lexie explained sheepishly, because she really didn't know how else to explain it. Lexie never fully understood what happened to Derek and asking Mark wasn't really an option, but what Lexie did know was that it hurt to see all the other interns and fellow doctors taking a stab at a world class surgeon who had reached his breaking point.

"Every surgeon goes through a rough patch…sometimes it's a rough day, a rough month or a rough year…" Jackson went on to say with a smile on his face in Derek's defense as well. But deep down both Jackson and Lexie knew that he wasn't really referring to Derek Shepherd. "Well like I said that's the file…and the rest is up to you" Jackson stated as he pointed to the file in Lexie's hand one more time. Stuffing his hands inside his pockets Jackson reluctantly began to walk away from Lexie without saying another word, he knew that it was going to be hard but Jackson hadn't really accepted the severity of just how hard until that very minute.

"Jackson!" Lexie yelled as they both quickly turned on their heels to face each other, Lexie still couldn't get past this nagging feeling that they still had so much left unsaid. Lexie began to run her finger up and down the spine of the folder in her hand as a way of occupying her because she really didn't know what to say, she didn't know what it was she could do to get past all of this. "It wasn't all bad" Lexie decided on saying, believing that if they concentrated on the good times then they might naturally fall into the conversation she really wanted to have.

Jackson began balancing on the balls of his feet so that he could feel like he was doing something other than standing there like a fish out of water. "They were the best of times; they were the worst of times" Jackson joked hoping that it would lighten the mood.

Lexie giggled at Jackson's sentiments to there time together, and for a split second all the good wasn't marred with all the bad. Lexie wasn't trying to down play the problems that had plagued them and she sure as hell wasn't looking for a way back, it was just nice….nice to be able to remember what it was like to laugh with Jackson. "So what happens now?"

And in that second Jackson was forced to face the reality that was the result of his own actions, "I'll be heading back to Boston and you…you'll be here giving Mr. Plastics a shot".

"Don't do that" Lexie softly pleaded as she shook her head.

"Sorry".

"So that's it then…" Lexie asked helplessly.

Jackson chuckled at Lexie's question as he began searching for something else to look at other than Lexie, "if I knew running back to Boston was all it would have taken to get some sort of reaction out of you I would've done this sooner".

Lexie crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Jackson, he had always had this precise way of knowing how to make a bad situation even worse.

"Sorry" Jackson offered again for what felt like the millionth time again, lately all he seemed to be doing was apologising.

"Jackson there was a time when hearing you say sorry would have been enough to making everything alright again, but…but somewhere along the line they became just words, words that no longer had any real meaning behind them for you _or _for me" Lexie explained solemnly. If Lexie was honest with herself this was probably the first real conversation that the two of them had had in quite a while and it felt good, it felt good to be able to open up and just let it all out.

"Yeah, words tend to lose their meaning after hearing them for the millionth time", Jackson agreed with his head down as he stared intently at a spot on the floor because of embarrassment.

"Jackson we're both to blame, things just seemed to spiral out of control and neither of us knew how to put the brakes on it" Lexie argued in the hope of offering Jackson some form of comfort.

Jackson on the other hand began shaking his head profusely as he folded his arms against his chest. "Lex you need to stop this…"

"Stop what?" Lexie asked with a confused look on her face.

"This!" Jackson exclaimed as he pointed backwards and forwards between each other, "you need to stop protecting me; and more importantly you need to stop making excuses for me because there are no excuses for what _I _did!"

It was in that second that Lexie finally realised how much guilt Jackson had actually been shouldering over what had happened, somewhere along the line Lexie had convinced herself that Jackson was untouchable but now she could see that she was wrong.

"I screwed up, and it wasn't because of anything you did…it was because I couldn't find it in me to trust you…" Jackson started to explain when Lexie cut him off as she waved her hands in the air with a confused look on her face.

"Wait a minute; you're telling me that it was your entire fault…but that it was because you couldn't trust _me_. How does that not make it my fault, I mean if you couldn't find it in you to trust me that's because of me, not because of you..." Lexie began to ramble as she panicked. Lexie's mind started to run a mile a minute, wondering if this was the reason that Mark couldn't believe in them…because he couldn't trust her.

Jackson quickly stepped forward and began to shake Lexie by her shoulders to try and stop her rambling. "Lexie it had nothing to do with you…"

"I swear to god if this is the part where I hear you say that it's not me but it's you…then I will hit you" Lexie exclaimed as she lightly slapped Jackson across his bicep with Mr. Reynolds' file in her hand.

Jackson shook his head, "I couldn't trust what you were saying…I couldn't trust that you actually meant it every time you said that you loved me. I had convinced myself that you were only there out of some sort of obligation, and it took me losing you to realise that I was wrong".

"I could have tried harder…" Lexie began to say when Jackson placed his finger on top of her lips to stop her from talking anymore.

"You tried harder than most women would Lex, it was me, I was broken and I just couldn't find a way to put myself back together…even with you as an incentive to do it" Jackson finally admitted out loud for the first time and it felt good. Jackson took a deep breath to steady himself for what he was about to do because the truth was he wasn't a good guy, he wasn't the guy that put others first. Jackson Reid would be the first to admit that he was a selfish man, yet strangely enough he now found himself standing in front of the woman he loved and was about to push her into the arms of another man. "Lex you need to tell Mr. Plastics the truth, you need to stop protecting me and just be honest with him about us, about me…about _everything_".

"What if he doesn't understand, what if…?"

"Then Mr. Plastics is an idiot" Jackson explained as he gently leant forward and gave Lexie a peck on the cheek, "good bye Lex".

Lexie silently watched Jackson Reid walk away from her and suddenly Lexie fund herself calling out, "Jackson". Jackson looked over his shoulder for a split second, and it was long enough for Lexie to be able to finally say the words "good bye", to which the only reply Lexie got was a nod of his head before he continued to leave. Lexie felt as though she was at peace…well at least with her past that is, now her future was a different story. Lexie knew that she still had a lot of work to do with Mark but tonight was going to fix that all of that…and maybe, just maybe tonight would be the beginning of her future with Mark.

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Mark leant his head against the elevator wall as he waited for his stop; he couldn't help but wonder if anyone would think it was weird if he just dropped dead on the floor right then and there. Mark would be the first one to admit that he was terrible a sleeper but last night had been the worst night of his life, he lost count of how many times he had tossed and turned on Meredith's couch before he was able to finally lull himself to sleep. Then it all went to hell the minute he had heard Lexie say those three words, but it wasn't just the fact that Lexie had said them which stoped Mark from falling asleep again. As embarrassing as it was for Mark to admit the reason he couldn't fall asleep really had nothing to do with him freaking out and more to do with Lexie's absence. Mark had become so accustomed to having Lexie lying next to him that it had become second nature to him, something he didn't even think about and it took everything inside of him not to jump off the couch and drag her down with him the other night.

Mark could feel his eyelids getting heavy and a combination of no sleep, pathetic annoying interns and emergency surgery was starting to take a toll on him, and at that very moment Mark couldn't careless where he was so long as he got at least a couple hours sleep. And just as Mark was about to succumb to temptation he was brought back to the land of the living by the opening of the elevator doors, Mark literally had to will his legs to co-operate as they felt like nothing but dead weight as he made his way towards his room. But the instant that Mark laid eyes on his hotel door he went from feeling like dead weight to feeling alive and alert, quietly and hesitantly Mark tiptoed up to his door.

Half of Mark couldn't help but faintly smile at the sight before him while the other half, the doctor half of him, couldn't help but note that she'd end up with a sore back if she stayed like that any longer. Because upon his arrival Mark was greeted with the sight of Lexie slumped down against the door with her knees tucked up against her chest and her forehead resting on her knees. Mark gently leant down so as not to scare her and gently shook her by the shoulder, "Lexie".

"Huh…I'm up, I'm up" Lexie exclaimed as her head jerked up and was half asleep, taking a few seconds to rub her eyes and allow them to adjust to the light Lexie had yet to realise that Mark was standing in front of her.

"Lexie what are you doing here?" Mark asked softly so as not to wake any of the other residing occupants.

Lexie could suddenly feel her heart thumping against her chest so hard that she was convinced she'd have a heart attack any second now; after all she had been waiting practically the whole night for this. Yet as another example of the fact that nothing in Lexie's life would go according to plan neither did this, Lexie did not imagine this conversation going this way what soever and that completely threw her off.

"Lexie…" Mark repeated again to try and gain her attention, only this time the concern laced around it was far more noticeable then the first.

Lexie sheepishly shrugged her shoulders as she tightened her grip around her knees, she really didn't know where to go from here, or what plan of attack to use. But Lexie quickly realised that she needed to stop treating this like some sort of battle plan and just be honest with Mark and with herself. Taking a deep breath Lexie looked Mark, who was now towering over her, in the eyes "I had this whole plan set up and I even memorised your schedule…the plan was to come back here and surprise you by being inside when you got home from work so that we could try and talk this out. But It wasn't until I got here that I realised that I didn't have a key to get in so…here I am" Lexie explained as she held her hands out to the empty hall way. "Surprise…" Lexie softly exclaimed as she waved her hands in the air.

Mark couldn't help but give Lexie an endearing smile, only his smile turned into a scowl the instant he looked down at his watch, "you knocked off at 5 and it's 10…please don't tell me that you've been sitting on this floor waiting for me the whole time".

Lexie quickly looked down at a piece of carpet fabric that was suddenly quite fascinating to her, "ok I haven't been waiting here for the past five hours for you to come home" Lexie replied timidly.

"Lexie!" Mark exclaimed wearily as he shook his head in disbelief, while Lexie quickly jumped up from her spot on the floor with her coat and bag in hand.

"I told you that I wasn't going anywhere" Lexie retorted defensively at Mark's disapproval of her waiting outside his hotel room the whole night.

It was in that split second that Mark's anger and frustration seemed to melt away and was replaced with shock and concern, concern that Lexie hadn't used her free time sensibly like most other interns would in getting that extra needed sleep, and shocked that she would sacrifice her free time just so that she could see him.

While Lexie on the other hand finally took a good, long look at Mark could see that he was about to collapse from exhaustion and that he didn't get any sleep at all the night before, she knew how touchy Mark could be without any sleep and she really didn't want this to blow up in her face. So Lexie decided that it would be better off for the both of them if it was left alone for another day and Lexie quickly dropped her bag on the floor so that she could slip on her jacket. Once Lexie had managed to accomplish that and pulled her hair out of her jacket she quickly bent down to retrieve her bag before looking Mark in the eye, "you're tired and I can see that you hardly slept last night so I'm um, I'm gonna just head on home and let you get some rest. I'll um, I'll see you at the hospital in the morning, so good night and sleep tight" Lexie explained with a cut little smile on her face that Mark couldn't seem to tear himself away from.

After both standing awkwardly in complete silence for a minute or so Lexie began to walk back down the hall towards the elevator when she heard her name being called out, "Lexie!"

Lexie quickly turned on her heel and before either one of them knew what they were doing the two slowly they began to gravitate towards each other in complete silence, Mark standing there like a statue with his hands in his pockets. Lexie could see that Mark was debating with himself on the inside on what the best thing to do was; Lexie didn't want Mark to do something that made him uncomfortable, so if speaking to her right now would do that then Lexie was more than happy to leave him alone. But before Lexie had a chance to walk away she was taken aback as Mark held his hand out towards her, Lexie wasn't sure where he was going with this but she knew that this was progress for Mark. Without saying a word Lexie threaded her fingers through Mark's opened hand and gave it a tight squeeze in a comforting gesture, Mark silently nodded his head as he squeezed her hand in return before guiding Lexie back towards his room.

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_Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far, and especially thank you to all who have regularly and consistently review this story. So please continue to do what your doing and I promise things are heading back on the right track with Mark and Lexie, you just have to bare with me :D_


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Lexie stood frozen with her back pressed up against the door as she watched Mark toss his wallet and keys onto the bedside table before collapsed on to the edge of the bed. Lexie wasn't sure what it was she was supposed to do here; this wasn't how it was supposed to go. Off the top of her head Lexie thought that she needed to be the one to say something first, but as she watched Mark scrub his face with his hands Lexie had second thoughts. Deciding that it would be best to let Mark set the pace, to let Mark decide where to go from here, and somehow Lexie found the strength to make her way over to Mark. Once again Lexie was confronted with the extent of Mark's exhaustion which was etched on to his face, she knew that Mark didn't have the energy for this and before Lexie could even suggest leaving again so that Mark could get some sleep she was cut off.

Mark tenderly reached out and took a hold of Lexie's hand for the second time that night, only this time there was a raw tenderness behind it that Lexie had never seen in Mark before. It wasn't that Lexie had never seen the softer side of Mark, she always did and she would bet a million bucks that she was one of the very few he let in. But there was just something that Lexie couldn't quite out her finger on, something that was different about the way Mark was acting…a good different though. "Mark" Lexie softly whispered, terrified that if she spoke any louder then she'd shatter the moment, but Lexie knew that they needed to talk.

Mark on the other hand had a different idea; he didn't want to talk…at least not right now. Right now Mark just wanted to forget, he wanted to forget the fact that his patient had died on him today in the O.R., he wanted to forget the fact that he knew he was screwing things up with the most important person in his life, he wanted to forget the fact that there was a real chance he could be losing Lexie…but most of all Mark wanted to forget what it would be like to go back, to go back to the life he had _before _Lexie. Because this morning Mark had been given a glimpse what that life was like when he woke up all alone, and if Mark knew one thing it was that he _did not_ want to go back…back to being the cold, lonesome Attending. Mark kept his eyes locked onto the carpet beneath his feet as he clutched to Lexie's hand as though it was a lifeline, refusing to look Lexie in the eye Mark silently tugged on Lexie's arm and gently but forcefully pulled her towards him and before Lexie knew it she found herself standing between Mark's legs. Mark released Lexie's hand and slowly began to run his fingertips up and down the length of her arm while his other hand weaved it's way around Lexie's waist. Lexie was virtually towering over Mark due to the fact that he was still seated on the edge of bed and began to wonder if there something wrong, something that she didn't know about that she really wasn't equipped to handle. Mark on the other hand couldn't stop thinking how he'd give anything to be able to stay like this for the rest of his life, to be left alone in the their own little world. A world in which he and Lexie weren't being constantly plagued by doubts and fears or comments from outsiders, a world where they could remain blissfully happy and unaware, but he knew that could never happen…at least not for him, reality always had a away of rearing it's ugly head in Mark's case.

"Mark" Lexie whispered once again to try and gain his attention, but Mark seemed intent on ignoring any plea that Lexie made.

Mark solemnly shook his head with pouted lips as he continued to stare at the floor, and as he let out a sigh of defeat Mark's free hand also weaved its way around the other side of Lexie's waist. With both arms wrapped around Lexie's waist Mark pulled Lexie even closer towards him, Lexie couldn't help but think that if she was any closer she'd be straddling the man. Mark closed his eyes as he gently positioned the side of his face against Lexie's abdomen while taking a deep breath so that he could take in the smell of Lexie, which it only helped to remind him that that very smell was know burnt into the back of his mind for the rest of his life.

Lexie also closed her eyes as she snaked her arms around Mark's neck and began to gently stroke Mark's hair. Lexie couldn't help but take in the complete stillness of the room, there wasn't a sound to be heard or a hint of movement to be seen and for Lexie this had been the first time that this level of rawness had been exposed in Mark…_progress_ Lexie couldn't help but think to herself with a faint smile on her face. Reluctantly Lexie opened her eyes and looked down at Mark whose head was still resting against her abdomen, "Mark…" Lexie tried whispering once again as she continued to stroke his hair.

Mark turned his head so that it was now his forehead leaning against Lexie as he shook his head, "no" Mark whispered so softly that Lexie almost missed it. "No" he repeated once again, only this time Mark had stopped shaking his head and brought his arms around to the front of Lexie's waist. In that moment Mark's hand's seemed to have a mind of there own, with his eyes closed and his head still leaning against Lexie's stomach Mark's hands began to gently pull at the hem of Lexie's shirt which was tucked inside her jeans. Once having exposed a patch of Lexie's soft skin Mark pulled away and began to place light feathered kisses against her skin.

Lexie closed her eyes again as a shiver ran up and down her entire body as the sensation of what Mark was doing hit her, Lexie didn't know _how _Mark did it…but somehow he always knew how. He always knew how to drive Lexie insane with desire, to make her feel like she would explode if they were kept apart for longer than necessary and that was what thrilled Lexie the most. The desire, the passion, the hunger she had for Mark…the need to be constantly with him or around him was always there and she had never experienced that with anybody else in her entire life…not even Jackson. Lexie could honestly and proudly say that Mark Sloan was the _only _man who knew how to bring her back to life.

Slowly and tentatively Mark began pulling on Lexie's shirt so that it would rise up even more, exposing more of her bare skin and it was driving him insane. By now Mark practically knew every inch of this woman's body and it still excited him to no end, Mark had always been a one night kind of guy and if he wasn't it didn't take long before he got bored. But with Lexie it was different, Mark could spend the rest of his life locked up inside a hotel room doing nothing but this and Mark was certain that he'd never get sick of it. Mark could honestly say that the need and the desire that he had for Lexie was on a level that he had never experienced before…not even with Addison, and there was a part of Mark that was thrilled even more by that fact. Mark gained a sense of satisfaction knowing that Lexie brought out a side of him that no one else would ever no; she brought out the side of him that Mark had hid behind a wall so long ago that he literally forgot it even existed. Mark's thought's only seemed to spur him on, the more he thought about the way his body always reacted to Lexie the more desperate and hungry Mark's kisses became.

Lexie tried to swallow the lump in her throat as her entire body began to be consumed by the sensation that was Mark Sloan; she knew that she needed to put a stop to this. She knew that they couldn't just jump straight back into bed and pretend like the last two days had never happened…but Lexie also knew that it was pointless in fighting it, because she couldn't, even if Lexie wanted to she wouldn't be able to stop this…to stop Mark because where Mark was concerned it seemed Lexie's body had a mind of it's own. "Mark" Lexie whispered pleadingly, only Lexie wasn't quite sure what it was that she was pleading for any more. She wasn't certain whether she was pleading for Mark to stop or for Mark to stop torturing her and finish what he had started, but deep down Lexie knew that it didn't matter what it was she was asking for. Because Mark was Mark and at the end of the day he'd do what was best for the _both _of them, even if Lexie couldn't see it right now.

As his trail of kisses began to work there way up Lexie's body higher and higher Mark slowly began to rise from his spot on the bed. Mark however did manage to stop long enough so that he could completely pull Lexie's shirt off of her, exposing her shirtless body and it was in that second that Lexie saw the glint of need and hunger in Mark's eyes. "Mark…" she questioned once more but was cut off by Mark's tender lips tracing kisses on the base of Lexie's collar bone.

"Please" Mark repeatedly begged for her not to stop this each time he pulled away from placing a soft kiss against her neck, as he made his way to the edge of her jaw and continued until he reached the corner of her mouth finally. Mark reluctantly pulled away for a split second so that he could finally look Lexie in his eye, and it was in that moment that an entirely new and different feeling took control of him. Mark couldn't say what it was, but what he did know was that it was a feeling he never wanted to forget and the look in Lexie's eyes only seemed to help in feeding it. Mark caved in that second as he crashed his lips on top of Lexie's, kissing her passionately with all the need and hunger he had to offer as he swept his tongue through her mouth. Mark's arms found there way around Lexie's waste once again and only seemed to tighten as Lexie deepened the kiss while once again stroking the back of Mark's head.

After finally having to pull away from the lack of oxygen Lexie realised that Mark needed this, and in that moment any doubt, any uncertainty about letting this get to far out of hand completely disappeared. Instead Lexie was consumed with a sense of certainty, certainty about them and a most importantly a certainty about Mark. Lexie couldn't explain it but it was as though in that moment any fears, any doubts Lexie had of ever losing Mark were completely swept away and she knew she had him. She also knew that right now, at this very minute Mark needed this; he just needed to be with her, to be close to her…he needed to remember what it felt like to be this out of control but so in control at the same time and Lexie was more than happy to refresh his memory. Looking Mark up and down for a second or two a mischievous yet utterly seductive grin consumed Lexie's face; she was going to have fun with this she thought to herself…she was going to savour every single inch of that which is Mark Sloan. Lexie tugged at the hem of Mark's shirt eagerly, indicating to him that she wanted it off _now_ and Mark was only too happy to oblige as he threw his shirt on to the floor so it could join Lexie's. Lexie froze for a minute to admire the shirtless man standing before her because it still amazed her how a man like this would ever chose a woman like her in a million years…but as her mother had always taught her, you should never look a gift horse in the mouth. With a cunning smile Lexie forcefully kissed Mark once again, and with their mouths fused together Lexie pushed against Mark's bare solid chest, causing the two of them to fall onto the bed. Lexie was now literally straddling Mark and pulled away from his lips as she began to attack the side of his neck, while Mark tried to stop himself from completely losing the plot.

"Lexie" Mark moaned as he slightly edged away from Lexie's touch so that he could look her in the eye, Mark wasn't naïve. He knew that having the most unbelievable sex in his life wasn't going to fix their problems, or that it was going to make having that conversation any simpler. But what he didn't know, what he hadn't been prepared for was the consequences of this whole new level that their relationship seemed to be taking and Mark couldn't stop it…and right now he wasn't even sure if he wanted to. Looking into Lexie's deep dark chocolate eyes and then down to her raw red lips Mark couldn't but smile, "Lexie" Mark exclaimed in a whisper for the second time as he moved his fingers to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. But before Mark could say another word he was cut off by another one of Lexie's hot searing kisses.

"Talk is over rated" Lexie commented nonchalantly with a wicked smile on her face, deciding that neither of them were going anywhere and neither was the dark cloud hanging over their heads…so why not take the time to just enjoy the moment.

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_**Thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing this so far, keep them coming guys and hope you all continue to enjoy it. Please, please, please review :D **_


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

It had become second nature for Mark to reach out for Lexie in his sleep, sometimes Lexie wasn't even sure Mark knew that he did that, but it always put a smile on her face whenever she felt him drape his arm across her waist because it meant he was thinking about her, it meant that he needed her. Even though Mark would never admit it out loud somewhere along the line sharing a bed with Lexie became a source of comfort for Mark. A place where he could actually allow himself to relax and forget about all his woes, a place where Mark felt safe and…he almost dared to think _loved_. Sometimes Mark found it kind of ironic because before Lexie Mark hated his bed, he heated going to bed alone because it was the one place he felt the most vulnerable…the place that constantly reminded him how truly alone he was.

As Mark slowly came to from his slumber he rolled over towards Lexie's side of the bed in search of her, but instead of feeling the warmth of Lexie's body Mark was greeted with the feeling of cold bed sheets. Mark sprung up still slightly dazed, "Lexie!" Mark called out as he sat upright in bed with the sheets only covering him from the waist below. Mark kept turning his head left and right as he scanned the room in search of Lexie despite the fact that he was surrounded in complete darkness, the only source of light creeping through the blinds from the streets below.

Mark suddenly felt a cold shiver run down his spine and his entire body covered in goosebumps, fear took a hold of him because the only time Lexie ever left Mark alone was for work. Mark turned his head to look at the red flashing lights on his bed side clock to see that it was 12:10 am, knowing the time only seemed to help feed Mark's fear because he knew for a fact that Lexie wouldn't be at work…so that only left him with one other option. _She left_ Mark thought to himself as he raised his hand to rub the back of his neck, hoping to try and loosen some of the nots that had built up there. Mark knew that he shouldn't have been surprised, after all what was he expecting…he had literally tried everything to push her out the door and despite Lexie's determination he was hell bent on not listening. There's only so much a person can put up with before they say enough is enough, and Mark feared that he had finally met his time and the idea of that turned Mark's blood cold.

Mark reached out for his clothes which had been strewn across the floor as he got out of bed, after having put his jeans on Mark made his way over to the light switch by the door. Mark couldn't help but let out a sigh of disappointment at the sight that he was greeted with as the light bulb switched on. There was nothing there, there was no piece of clothing of Lexie's to indicate that she had been there…no lost sock, or forgotten jacket, nothing that would give her a reason to come back. Mark dragged himself over to the bathroom so that he could wash his face in hopes of fully waking up, though as Mark made his way over he wondered if it was worth it. Did he really want to wake up, did he really want to be reminded that he had royally screwed this all up and he had no one else to blame but himself.

Hunched over the sink Mark turned on the taps as he splashed his face with the cool water and scrubbed his face hard, it almost as though Mark was trying to punish himself…to cause himself some sort of physical pain because that would be far more bearable than this. As Mark turned the tap off and reached for a towel he caught the sight of himself in the mirror out of the corner of his eye, and for a second Mark wasn't even sure who he was looking at anymore. Once upon a time Mark would look in the mirror and he'd see a strong confident man who didn't need anything else but a scalpel to survive. But then Lexie Grey came into his life and all of the sudden Mark saw a different man, a man who he liked the look of because he was a strong, confident and _happy_ man…not to mention he had a women who he was deeply in lo…_cared _for Mark corrected himself as he looked back into the mirror. Mark stood there looking back at the mirror as he clutched the towel in his hand so tightly that his knuckles were turning white, he could slowly see the old Mark creeping back into his own reflection and that was making him freak out.

Mark didn't want to go back, he didn't want to go back to be Mark Sloan the man whore who was only good for sex. With Lexie he was so much more than that, with Lexie he was Mark…a guy who just happens to be one of the best Plastic Surgeons who made a lot of mistakes in his past but who was willing to learn from them. And that was what Mark was doing, he was learning how to make this work, he was learning how to not screw this up…_until you did you moron_ Mark blasted himself. Mark was trying to learn how to get this right, because he couldn't think of anything else in his entire life that he had wanted…no _needed_ to get right more than this. Even learning to become a surgeon hadn't meant as much to Mark as this did…as getting this right with Lexie.

"Mark!" Lexie called out as she kicked the door closed, she made her way over to the coffee table so she could place the plastic bag down before taking off her coat which she threw onto the couch.

Mark felt his heart skip a beat at the sound of Lexie's voice, a part of him felt a surge of guilt consume him for even thinking that she would leave him. Mark had to stop himself from sprinting out of the bathroom and literally mauling her until he had her convinced to never leave that room again.

"Mark" Lexie called out again with a hint of concern, she knew that he wasn't in the shower for the fact that she couldn't hear the water running and with the door ajar she didn't want to intrude. Lexie bent down as she began to remove the contents of the plastic bag and placed it on to the coffee table, with her back turned to the bathroom Lexie couldn't see nor hear Mark as he walked out into the room that suddenly felt a whole lot smaller to Mark.

Lexie straightened herself up and just as she was about to look over her shoulder and call out for Mark again she stoped at the sight of him. Lexie felt herself literally go weak at the knees at the sight of Mark standing there with nothing but a pair of jeans on and completely shirtless. That always put a smile on Lexie's face and no matter how many times she saw Mark without his shirt on it was one sight she would never get tired of. Lexie seductively walked over to Mark and snaked her arms around his waist, "I'm thinking that we should implement a _no shirt_ policy for you whenever we're alone" Lexie stated with a wicked smile as she stood on her tiptoes and gave Mark a soft kiss on the lips.

Before Lexie had a chance to pull away Mark deepened the kiss as he placed his hand on the small of her back and pulled her closer. Mark himself could sense the desperation in his kiss, the need for reassurance that Lexie wasn't going anywhere and that was one thing that Mark hated. Before Lexie he never really cared if a woman came and went because that was the inevitable, but with Lexie it mattered…they mattered. Mark needed to know that she wasn't going anyway; that he wasn't losing her and that was what yesterday was really all about. Mark freaked out and he convinced himself that Lexie would walk away from him, just like all the others, so that she could be with Jackson and Mark figured he'd beat her to the punch…dump them before they dump you had been Mark's motto. But even from their first night together Mark knew that Lexie was the one woman that he didn't want that motto to apply to.

Reluctantly the two of them pulled apart due to the lack of oxygen, and Lexie closed her eyes with a content smile of her face as she rested her head on top of Mark's bare chest. "So what did I do to deserve that?" Lexie asked with her eyes still closed, she stood there as Mark's arms draped themselves around her waist as she listened to the sound of his heart beating.

Mark had to swallow as he felt his mouth go all dry and a lump form in his throat, Mark knew that he couldn't be honest with Lexie about the absurd thoughts that had been running through his head. If anything for the fear of hearing her laugh at him, telling him how ridiculous he was being because Mark knew that…he knew that he was being silly and he hated himself for it. He hated the fact that he constantly kept questioning his relationship with Lexie, questioning why Lexie was even with him in the first place but Mark couldn't afford to let his guard down. Mark had convinced himself that if he did, if he let his guard down for a single second then he'd lose it all because it wasn't even his to being with, because he didn't deserve it.

"Hey" Lexie whispered as she gave Mark a nudge to try and get his attention, "what's going on in that head of yours?" Lexie asked with concern in her eyes. Lexie wasn't an idiot or naïve for that matter, she didn't think for one single second that last night would make all their problems magically disappear. But what she did know was that it was one step in the right direction…especially for Mark, Lexie took comfort in the fact that instead of going to Joe's and getting drunk or dragging a nurse into the nearest on-call room to try and fix his problems he came home and for Mark that was definitely progress.

"Just thinking" Mark answered as honestly as he could as he stepped away from Lexie to retrieve his shirt. After pulling his shirt down Mark could have sworn he saw a pout on Lexie's face and Mark had to smile at that as he sat down on the edge of the bed. Silence over took the room and Mark hated that, he hated not talking to her because Lexie was the one person, besides Derek, that Mark loved talking to. Letting out a sigh of frustration Mark ran his hand through his hair as he jumped back up and started pacing up and down the room. "You weren't here" Mark commented as he stoped pacing and placed his hands on his hips.

"Excuse me?" Lexie asked with a confused look on her face as she folded her arms against her chest.

Mark scrubbed his face for the second time that night in frustration; there was a look of helplessness in his eyes that Lexie couldn't turn away from. "I needed some air" Lexie explained as she dropped her arms to her side and made her way over to the coffee table, "and I knew that you'd be hungry so I stopped by Joe's and grabbed you a burger". Lexie was now standing behind the couch, holding out a container that Mark assumed was the burger in question.

Mark felt like an even bigger jerk than before, here he was telling himself that she was sick of him and that she wanted out when in reality she was traipsing around Seattle buying him a burger because she knew how he always got hungry after a long surgery.

Mark sheepishly made his way over to Lexie and took the offering from her, "thanks" Mark whispered as he sat down on the couch and took a bite into his burger.

As Mark swallowed his bite of the burger Lexie couldn't help but smile, she quietly sat down beside him and leant in so she could gently kiss him on the corner of his mouth. "You had a bit of ketchup" Lexie whispered as she pointed to her own mouth and then quickly began to pull away.

Mark gave Lexie one of his heart melting smiles before going back to his burger, Mark swore that if he didn't hurry up and finish it that his insides were going to eat themselves from hunger. Lexie shook her head as she began to rub her hands up and down her thighs because it was starting to get a bit cold, "god sometimes you and Derek can eat like pigs" Lexie commented with a giggle.

"We're growing boys" Mark retorted smugly as he chewed on another bite of his burger.

"Didn't Mrs. Shepherd ever teach you not to talk with your mouth full?" Lexie asked as she gently swatted him across his bicep. "Besides I think it's safe to say that you stoped growing a long time ago".

"True…I mean there's no way that a _boy _could do the things that I do to you" Mark replied with a devious grin on his face.

"Really, and do tell _Mark _what is it exactly that _you _do that no one else can" Lexie asked teasingly while Mark could see the mischief in her eyes.

"Sounds like you need me to refresh your memory little Grey…what happened to that photographic memory of yours?"

Lexie slid over closer to Mark and lightly brushed her index finger along his jaw, "memory bank's full".

"Really?" Mark asked with a coy smile as he reached out so he could put his burger down onto the table, after taking a swig from the bottle of water that Lexie had bought he sat up straight. In the blink of an eye Mark quickly grabbed Lexie by the arms and pulled her onto his lap, "and do tell little Grey, what is it exactly that has your mind already full?"

Lexie's smirk morphed into a full blown smile as she snaked her arms around Mark's neck and began playing with the hairs on the nape of his neck. "Mhmm let me think…I would have to say that this photographic memory of mine is incapable to taking in any knew information because of a sexy" Lexie stated as she kissed his jaw, "charming" she kissed him again moving down the jaw line and continued to do so as she stated each word, "sweet, handsome, talented and old…"

"Oh well if his old you clearly need to find someone capable of keeping up with you" Mark retorted as he feigned trying to push Lexie off of him with a hint of mischief.

Lexie laughed as she tightened her grip around Mark's neck, "did I mention sexy" Lexie asked as she softly kissed his lips.

"Sexy huh?" Mark asked smugly with a smirk.

"Oh unbelievably sexy, in fact his so sexy that he puts all the other surgeons to shame…especially Derek Shepherd" Lexie explained as she continued to caress the back of his neck while kissing him once again.

Mark couldn't help but groan at the taste of Lexie's lips against his own; he closed his eyes as he allowed himself to get caught up in the sensation of it all. "So his sexy _and _a surgeon…he sounds like quite a catch" Mark commented as he looked Lexie right in the eye, Mark's comment somehow moved from being cheeky and flirtatious to dead serious. Mark wasn't sure what possessed him to ask the question but the minute he did he knew he needed an answer, a truthful answer that he was now holding his breath while waiting for.

Lexie could see the pleading look in Mark's eyes to answer the question, she also knew that the way in which she chose to answer could either make them or break them. "His a one in a million find" Lexie whispered so softly against Mark's ear that it sent a shiver down his spine. "You know" Lexie started to say as she slightly pulled away from Mark so that she could know look into his eyes. Lexie knew that right now would be a perfect time as any to have this conversation and Mark was giving her the perfect opportunity to let it all out and she was not going to wast it. Lexie released her grip from around Mark's neck and cupped his cheeks in her hands, "sometimes I even lie awake at night watching him sleep and I can't help but wonder why me…why would this amazingly talented and wonderful man pick _me_ when he could have any women he wanted? Honestly I keep pinching myself thinking ok today's the day, today's the day that he is going to wake up and realise that he can do _so _much better than me…but he doesn't" Lexie states as she softly caresses his cheek. "He hasn't walked away and he hasn't gone looking for a better offer…so that means" Lexie says as she stops to brace herself for what she is about to do, Lexie knew that it was risky considering Mark's thoughts but she didn't care, she just didn't care anymore about worrying about all the risks…what's mean to be will be.

"That means…" Mark repeated to try and encourage Lexie to go on with her answer, because up until this very second Mark hadn't realised how much he needed to hear this. He could feel his heart rate rising as he held his breath for whatever Lexie was about to say, at first Mark thought he could live with whatever answer she gave him…but now Mark wasn't so sure, Mark wasn't so sure that he could survive it if the answer was anything _but _what he wanted to hear.

With a misty look in her eyes Lexie leant forward and kissed Mark softly on the lips one more time before she finally let the other shoe drop so to speak. "That I must have done something right in some past life to deserve a man like him" Lexie finally admitted as she tried to hold back all the tears. Lexie swore to herself that she wouldn't be one of those typical sappy girls who cried their eyes out while they declared their love, she wouldn't do it because Mark wasn't like that…Mark wasn't your typical guy and that's what Lexie loved about him. "I had a life, I had life before I met him, but I wasn't living it…I mean I thought I was, I thought that I was happy and smiley and that I _was _living" Lexie stated as she looked down in embarrassment as she fiddled with the button on her shirt. Taking a deep breath and telling herself to get a grip Lexie looked back up at Mark, "but I was wrong…I was _so wrong_ that it's not even funny. He brought me back to life, he gave me something that I thought I had lost the day I buried my mother…"

"Wha…" Mark tried to ask but his throat had become all dry and croaky, clearing his throat he somehow managed to find the words that he was looking for. "What was that…I mean what, what did you lose?"

"My person, ever since my mother died I have felt so alone…like I had no one and I thought that I never would have someone again. You know someone to talk to when I'm having a really bad day, or to have someone tell me that they're proud me, but then he…" Lexie stoped to correct herself. "Then _you _came along and you noticed me, you listened and you mocked…but you noticed me, you were there for me and you have been ever since. You are all I think about Mark Sloan, when I'm with you I can't imagine being apart from you and when I'm not I've got this stupid grin on my face because all I can do is count down the minutes until I am. You're all I think about and all I will ever think about because I, Alexandra Caroline Grey _love you _Mark Sloan and I will continue to love you no matter what".

Mark thought for certain that he had stopped breathing or at the least that this was all some kind of cruel and torturous dream. What possessed him he had no idea, but Mark reached out and pinched Lexie on the arm. "Ow" Lexie cried out as she furrowed her brow in Mark's direction, "I tell you that I love you and you pinch me".

"I needed to make sure" Mark whispered with an out of it look on his face.

Lexie could see the look in his eye and she could slowly feel the fear rising inside of her, wondering if Mark was freaking out, wondering if this was the part where Mark ran out the door and told her to stay the hell away from him. Taking a deep breath Lexie knew that it was pointless trying to backtrack because the damaged had already been done, Lexie had already said those words and she couldn't take them back and a part of her didn't want to. "Needed to make sure of what?" Lexie asked hesitantly as she tried to free herself from Mark's lap because all of the sudden the room was feeling quite constricting to Lexie.

The minute that Mark sensed Lexie pulling away his grip tightened around her waist to make sure that she didn't go anywhere, after all Mark had just been given the _one _thing he thought that he would never get and he wasn't about to let that go. Mark placed his finger under Lexie's chin so that he could tilt her head up and look her in the eye, "that this is actually happening to me".

Lexie shook her head in disappointment, "you need to stop this" Lexie exclaimed with a hint of frustration.

"Stop what?" Mark asked with a confused look on his face, wondering how the hell Lexie went from talking about being in love with him to being pissed off with him.

Lexie finally managed to worm her way out of Mark's grasp and moved all the way over the other side of the room, hoping that a bit of distance would stop her from killing him. "Doubting me" Lexie whispered softly, "you need to stop doubting _us_, you need to stop questioning whether or not I actually mean what I say and question whether you deserve me or not. That's my decision to make and I choose _you_" Lexie exclaimed as she pointed at him. "Because if you don't, if you can't stop doubting me then we're never going to work…and I can't afford that, I can't afford for this _not _to work because I've never wanted anything in my life more than I want you".

Mark knew that Lexie was right, Mark knew that he needed to believe in her but more importantly he knew that he needed to say it but he couldn't. Mark couldn't find it in himself to out actually say those three words out loud because the last time he had he got burnt…badly, and Mark just couldn't risk exposing himself like that again. Then there was the matter of Jackson Reid, Mark still had this fear in the back of his head despite the fact that he knew it was completely irrational. Mark slowly rose from the couch and edged over towards Lexie, "Jackson…"

"Is _gone_" Lexie finished for Mark as the light switch finally clicked for her, she had been sitting here declaring her love for him but made no mention whatsoever about the man who had stirred all of this trouble up. Lexie tiptoed towards Mark, after being barely inches apart from each other she began to tug on the hem of his shirt.

"Why?" Mark asked because right know that seemed to be the only words he could find.

"Because I asked him to" Lexie stated frankly as she continued to look at Mark's chest rather than his face. "I asked Jackson to leave because I'm happy, really, really happy and because whatever happened between us is in the past…and that's were it's going to stay. I've moved onto something that which is far bigger and better than that ever was and I am not going to let Jackson Reid destroy that…are you?"

Mark quietly shook his head as he allowed everything that Lexie had said to sink in, yes Mark believed that Lexie loved him, yes Mark believed that he lo…cared for her but Mark couldn't guarantee that he'd ever be able to say those words. But then Mark thought that maybe he should just do it, just like if he was ripping off a bandaid and to spit it out without even thinking. Mark took a deep breath and tilted Lexie's head up so he could look her in the eye, as he began to speak Lexie quickly placed her finger over Mark's mouth to stop him from speaking.

It was almost as if Lexie could read Mark's mind, "don't say it" Lexie exclaimed while still holding her finger to his mouth. "Don't say it…I didn't tell you that I loved you just so I could hear it back. I told you that I love you because I needed you to know it, I needed to get it out there" Lexie explained as she slowly began to remove her finger once she was certain that Mark wouldn't speak. "If you want to say it because you're _ready_ or because you _need _to say it then say it, but I _don't _want you saying it because you feel like you _have _to say it or because you think that I'll be _devastated_ if you don't because I won't be" Lexie stated as she snaked her arms around Mark's neck. "It's not that I don't care because I _do _care, it's just that I know you Mark and I am not going to hold you to some sort of schedule…I am not about to tell you that you have to say the words by this time or it's the end. When you're ready to say the words you will and you if can't or if you never get there then I'll understand, because I know that you feel it…"

Mark cut Lexie off by engulfing her in a bear hug squeezing her so tight that Mark thought he was going to break her, but he didn't want to let her go. Hearing Lexie say those words to him, hearing her tell him that she would always be there even if he could never find away to get the words out…that only convinced Mark even more that he didn't deserve someone like Lexie. But in that moment Mark made a conscious decision to stop sabotaging himself and their relationship, he was just going to accept how things were and play it by ear. Mark was going to trust in Lexie and more importantly, something Mark had never actually done, he was going to trust in himself…he was going to trust that he could actually do this, that he could make this work no matter what. Mark leant in and kissed Lexie softly on the lips only to have her deepen the kiss, Mark couldn't help but think that he liked this new take charge attitude that Lexie had seemed to have adopted over the last few days. Unfortunately for Mark the sound of a whining cell phone forced the two of them to separate before anything could come of it, "hold that thought" Lexie instructed as she skipped over to the couch where her purse was.

"Damn cell phones!" Mark exclaimed in exasperation as he scrubbed his face and flopped down onto the bed with his arms and legs spread out. Mark closed his eyes for a few seconds from exhaustion both mentally and physically, Mark only managed to catch a few words from Lexie's end of the conversation. "Huh…when…how soon…can anybody else do…ok see you"

Mark opened his eyes as the room was suddenly filled with silence, "Oh come one!" Mark groaned out in frustration at the sight of Lexie standing in front of him wearing her coat and purse in hand. Lexie couldn't help but giggle as she dropped her purse and crawled onto the bed and straddled Mark "you planning on going to Denver" Lexie asked with her smirk on her face as she referred to the first patient they had together after their first night.

Mark took a breath and moved his hand so that he could tuck a piece of Lexie's hair behind her ear, "I've already been to Denver…and I loved it". Lexie scrunched Mark's shirt up into a ball and pulled him up into a sitting position, Lexie gave Mark a long and sultry kiss.

Mark pulled away from Lexie and took note once again of Lexie's numerous layers of clothing. Mark gave Lexie a pointed glare, "little Grey don't go starting start something you can't finish". Lexie shook her head as she laughed at him, "well I'm glad that my pain's causing you pleasure…you need to stop hanging around Derek so much".

Lexie kissed him once again, only this time Lexie began to trace kisses along the edge of his jaw and up to his earlobe. The sound of her heavy breathing had already sent Mark close to the edge but having her lick his ear did not help. "No!" Mark exclaimed as he lifted Lexie off his lap and dumped her beside him on the bed before quickly jumping up. Mark glared at Lexie who gave Mark a wicked smile as she leant against her elbows, "You're an evil woman, evil you know that".

Lexie slowly rose from the bed and walked over to Mark who took a step back as he held his hands up in self-defence; "aren't you being a bit of a baby?" Lexie asked.

"Aren't you being a bit mean, starting something when you clearly have no intention of finishing it" Mark asked while pointing at her clothes.

Lexie bent down to retrieve her purse and walked over to Mark, "Dr. Yang called, one of the interns called in sick so she needs me to fill in..."

"So you decided that if your going to be dragged back to the hospital at 1am then your going to torture your boyfriend with the promise of sex but not deliver on it" Mark asked with his jaw clenched.

Lexie couldn't help but smile at the sound of Mark referring to himself as her boyfriend whether he knew he had done it or not, in Lexie's mind that definitely required a reward and she soon quickly found herself damning Cristina Yang and all those annoying interns to hell. "Think of it as an I.O.U." Lexie softly whispered into his ear, "I know for a fact that you don't start till after lunch tomorrow and as a reward for my selfless sacrifice Dr. Yang's given me the morning off so…"

"So then I get you all to myself the minute you walk through that door" Mark replied with a wicked grin on his face as he pointed at the door over behind Lexie.

Lexie could already see the nuts and bolts turning in his head as he thought of a million and one things he could do to her. "Remember I.O.U." Lexie repeated in a hurry as she quickly gave him a peck on the lips and headed for the door.

"Don't you worry…I plan on collecting" Mark called out as he watched Lexie walk out the door with the biggest smile on her face. Mark threw himself back onto the bed and couldn't help but think that things were going to work out; that with a bit of time he might…just might be able to say those words again.

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_**Thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing this so far, keep them coming guys and hope you all continue to enjoy it. Please, please, please review. If you do I promise to update ASAP, and I'm pretty good on delivery :D **_


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Mark could feel the burning sensation in his calf muscles as he climbed the steps of the Archfield two at a time, his breathing becoming heavier as the pace of each step quickened. But as he climbed the stairs of the Archfield Hotel back towards his room Mark could list at least one different _activity _that would have been far more enjoyable than this. In fact Mark couldn't actually remember the last time that he had gone on his morning run because Lexie had always been their to provide him with a rather far more pleasurable workout session, and even if she didn't the idea of leaving her alone in their bed wasn't very appealing to Mark and the thought of that had only put a smile of his face. Mark knew that it was ridiculous to go for a run this morning…especially when he had every intention of cashing in Lexie's _promise_ but unfortunately for Mark sleep just wouldn't come. From the second that Lexie left his hotel room last night Mark knew that sleep would elude him, instead all he could do was continue to lie there and replay Lexie's words over and over again in his head. Apart of Mark still couldn't quite believe what Lexie had confessed to him and he still refused to say it out loud in fear of it being only a dream. He knew that he still had a long way to go and a lot of work to do if he had any hope of getting to that point…of getting to the point where he could say the words back, but he was willing to learn.

Mark felt like his lungs were about to explode from a lack of oxygen as he leant against the solid door of his hotel room, he finally managed to take a few deep breaths to try and steady his breathing while cursing Cristina Yang in the back of his mind for taking Lexie away from him last night. As Mark reluctantly pushed himself off of the door and headed towards the shower he was forced to stop midway by the sound of his cell phone ringing, "damn cell phones, can't even get one morning to myself" Mark muttered to himself assuming that it was the hospital calling him in for an emergency. Mark was far to annoyed at the fact that his lazy Friday morning had been ruined to even register the fact that the caller I.d. was flashing _Derek_.

"What?" Mark barked into the phone as he made his way over to the couch so he could kick of his shoes and socks before heading towards the shower.

"You need to work on your social skills" Derek commented on the other end of the line, Mark swore that he could hear Derek smiling.

"My social skills are perfectly fine" Mark retorted as he continued to remove his socks.

Derek shook his head, "I have absolutely no idea how Lexie puts up with you".

Mark couldn't help but smile at hearing her name, shrugging his shoulders Mark commented back "the same way that Meredith puts up with you".

"Ahh but you see Meredith _loves _me, Lexie tolerates you" Derek explained jokingly.

"Ha, ha, you're very funny…I'll have you know that Lexie _loves _me, I think you have me confused with yourself" Mark joked as he looked down at his watch. "So could you make this quick because I've got to hit the shower before Lexie gets home from the hospital" Mark explained, not even flinching at his own reference to the hotel as _their _home. As far as Mark was concerned because that was progress, until Lexie came along the idea of sharing a room with a woman for more than one night was ridiculous to Mark let alone living with one. Mark's entire body did however stiffen because he knew that something was wrong, rather than hearing Derek make some smartass comment Mark was left to hear nothing but silence.

"Derek?" Mark managed to force out while trying to remain calm on the inside instead of freaking out, "Derek…you there man?" Mark asked again as he jumped up from the couch and began pacing up and down the room. Mark could literally feel his heart thumping against his chest at Derek's lack of response, he tried to will himself to calm down but he knew it was useless…his mind had already came to the conclusion that something bad had happened and there was nothing that could be said or done to convince him otherwise. Just as Mark was about to yell into his cell once again he could hear Derek talking to someone on the on other end of the line, "Derek I swear to god…"

"Mark will you stop yelling and clam the hell down before you give yourself an aneurism" Derek finally spoke into the phone, turning his attention back to the conversation at hand with Mark.

"Derek what's wrong?" Mark asked, deciding to be frank with Derek because he wasn't in the mood for games.

"Promise you me that you'll clam down first" Derek ordered, refusing to let him know what was going on until Derek was certain that Mark wasn't going to give himself a heart attack.

"I could stand here and make a whole bunch of promises but you and I both know that I rarely stick to them" Mark retorted using Derek's own argument against him. "So why don't you just tell me what the hell is going on and I promise not to promise to kill whoever's responsible for it" Mark barked out.

Derek let out a sigh of defeat because after nearly thirty years of friendship with Mark Sloan Derek knew when he was caving to Mark's demands, and he head learnt along time ago to stop fighting it. "Lexie's fine… I meticulously examined her myself before I let Meredith take her home…" Derek started to say but was quickly cut off by the booming sound of Mark's voice.

"Examined her…you examined her for what…Derek what the hell is going on over there?" Mark began yelling into his cell phone.

"Mark you're yelling…you promised to remain clam" Derek declared.

"No…no I promised not to stick to any promises that I made you…now I'm not going to ask you again Derek, what the hell is wrong with Lexie?" Mark asked terrified of the answer, he began rummaging through his draws in search of clean clothes.

"Nothing is going on Mark, Owen and Lexie were dealing with a patient in the ED who became aggressive and he accidentally pushed her as they were trying to restrain him…" Derek was trying to explain when he was cut off by the gruff sound of Mark's voice.

"Why the hell didn't Hunt sedate the guy if he was that bad?" Mark asked as he pulled the phone away from his ear so he could change his sweaty shirt for a clean one.

"This isn't Hunt's fault, the patient was brought in unconscious…you know as well as I do that we have no way of knowing in what kind of state the patient will wake up in. Besides the man clearly needed a neurological assessment and I wouldn't have been able to do my job if he was sedated" Derek argued back defensively, hoping that he could reason with Mark medically speaking.

"Where is she?" Mark barked as he shrugged on his leather jacket and snatched up his wallet and car keys.

"Meredith took her back to our place…" were the only words uttered by Derek before Mark quickly hung up on him without even saying goodbye.

Patting down the pockets of his jeans to double check that he had his wallet and keys Mark stormed out of the hotel room, muttering to himself that if there was a single scratch on Lexie's head both Hunt and Yang were going to wish they had never gone into work today.

****************

"Coming in" Meredith called out to the incessant rapping on her front door, as Meredith inched closer to the door the knocking only seemed to get louder and more impatient. "I said I'm coming!" Meredith yelled as she yanked the front door open to reveal Mark standing there with a dishevelled look about him.

Not even giving Meredith a chance to speak Mark wormed his way through the front door and stormed into the living room only to see that it was completely empty. Turning on his heels Mark was confronted with a glare on Meredith's face as she stood there with her arms folded against her chest. "Where is she?" Mark asked sharply, not really in the mood for a _Meredith _conversation. Having managed to calm himself down Mark was struck with a sudden realisation and began to make his way towards the staircase when Meredith cut him off.

"She needs her rest" Meredith instructed Mark with a look on her face that was begging him to challenge her so she'd have a reason to throw him out.

Mark chose to ignore Meredith's comment and tried to push his way past Meredith but he quickly found that she was far stronger than he would have imagined. Meredith was determined to stand her ground because Lexie needed her rest, she needed peace and quite and Meredith knew that Lexie wasn't going to get that with Mark around. Meredith briefly closed her eyes shut as that same nauseating feeling that she had earlier this morning came over her again, the moment that Meredith had seen Lexie lying on that hospital bed unconscious she felt sick to her stomach. Meredith was quickly brought out of her thoughts by the sound of her name; "Meredith" Mark stated with a clenched jaw and gritted teeth.

"Mark" Meredith called out practically mimicking Mark's own composure; if anyone had walked into the house at that moment they would have thought that the two of them were having some sort of showdown.

Mark realised that Meredith wasn't going to budge so throwing his hands up in defense Mark let out a sigh. "Ok you win…I'll leave her alone so she can rest" Mark exclaimed as he took a few steps back to try and prove to Meredith that he was serious.

Dubiously Meredith began to also take tiny steps away from the bottom of the staircase not taking her eyes off of Mark the whole time. She could see the concern etched on Mark's face and a part of her felt bad for him because she knew that feeling, Meredith had lost count of how many times she had felt that same way about Derek and this morning she had been consumed with that fear for Lexie. Meredith was suddenly struck with a nagging sense of guilt as she remembered the conversation with Derek that they had yesterday at the hospital, if she was going to learn how to accept Mark as a part of her life now had to be as good a time as any. Shaking her head in disbelief at what she was about to do Meredith took a step aside as she sighed in defeat and pointed towards the stairs, "she's in Izzie's room…" Meredith managed to say before Mark made a made dash for the stairs. "Try not to wake her…" Meredith yelled up the stairs to Mark's retreating back, "why do I even bother?" Meredith asked herself as she made her way towards the kitchen.

**************

Mark cautiously began to turn the door knob to Izzie's room and stuck his head in so as to make sure that he wasn't disturbing Lexie. Scanning the room Mark finally laid eyes on a sleeping Lexie who was curled up into a ball underneath the bed covers; Mark quietly tiptoed into the room as he made his way around the bed. Gently Mark sat down on the edge of the bed and began to stroke the side of her face; it wasn't until Lexie let out a sigh of content and turned over that Mark felt like he had been punched in the gut. As a well trained plastic surgeon Mark could already see the signs of bruising and slight swelling that were beginning to form on Lexie's cheek bone, and it didn't help that she was sporting what looked to be a deep cut just above her right eye. Mark began to inch closer towards Lexie so he could get a better look while continuing to caress her cheek when her eyes began to slowly flutter open.

Lexie laid there for a moment or two as she allowed her eyes to adjust to the light in the room because at the moment her head felt like it was going to split in two. She couldn't help but blow out into a wide cheesy grin at the sight of Mark sitting beside her as he now stroked her hair. "Hey" she whispered in a croaky voice because of her dry throat as Lexie slowly began to prop herself up on the bed, having had enough of lying down for the time being.

Mark wanted to be mad at her for getting hurt, he wanted to be mad at Derek for not calling him the second that it had happened and more importantly he wanted to be mad at Hunt for not protecting Lexie. But he couldn't, Mark couldn't seem to hold onto that grudge because she was fine and that was all that mattered. "I heard you had a bit of an accident" Mark stated as he pulled his hand away from Lexie's hair and tilted her chin up so he could take a look at the bruising on her cheek better in the light.

Lexie rolled her eyes at Mark, although it was hard to pretend to be annoyed when she had a smile on her face. Truth be told Lexie loved it whenever Mark took care of her or got over protective because it mean he cared…more than he would if it was anyone else. "I'm fine, a patient got a bit aggressive and I was in the wrong place at the wrong time…lost my balance and accidentally hit my head on a surgical tray before hitting the ground…it's no big deal" Lexie explained as she grabbed ahold of Mark's hand so he'd stop examining her cheek. Unfortunately for Lexie Mark wasn't quite finished with playing doctor yet as he raised his hand towards the bandage above her eye. Lexie was quick to act as she swatted his hand away, "it wasn't a deep cut, it only required five stitches and Dr. Hunt made sure that I was personally tended to before Derek preformed _every_ single test under the sun that he could think of…_I'm fine"_ Lexie exclaimed as she squeezed his hand in reassurance.

Mark sheepishly looked down at the floor, trying to hide the fact that his cheeks were turning red from embarrassment because of his over-reaction. However his head suddenly snapped up and turned to give Lexie a glare, "when you say Hunt personally tended to you that means…." Mark asked as he pointed towards Lexie's bandage.

Lexie's hand instinctively went up to lightly brush against the sootchers she could feel through the bandage and turned to Mark with a look of confusion on her face. "It means that he did the stitches himself, he wouldn't let any of the interns near me" Lexie explained with a little gleam in her eye as she remembered the way that Hunt had become quite territorial towards her, she also couldn't help but giggle at how exasperated Hunt had become whenever one of the interns had tried to suck up to Hunt so they could sootcher her face.

Mark on the other hand shook his head in disbelief, "you let the meatballer sootcher your face?" asked indignantly.

"Mark it was only _five _stitches, if I needed a plastic surgeon then Hunt or Derek would have paged you on the spot" Lexie retorted in frustration at the way Mark was behaving. "Besides Owen is just a good a surgeon as you or Derek are" Lexie tried to argue defensively for Owen, Lexie knew that that none of this was his fault no matter how much Mark wanted to blame him for it. "Now can you please just let this go and forget about it because I don't think my head can take anymore fighting" Lexie asked with pouted lips as she began tracing circles on the palm of Mark's hand. Just as Lexie was about to claim victory in winning Mark over the sound of Derek's voice had him leap up from the bed in record time. "Where are you going?" Lexie asked with a furrowed brow in Mark's direction because she was getting a bad feeling about this.

Before Mark even had a chance to respond to Lexie's question they both turned their heads simultaneously towards the sound of Derek's voice as he popped his head in through the door. "Hey how are you feeling?" Derek asked with a sympathetic smile on his face.

Mark stood there with his back up against the wall and his arms folded across his chest, "you let the meatballer near her face" Mark growled at Derek as he pointed at Lexie's bandage.

With a confused look on his face Derek entered the room and made his way to the foot of the bed, "what?"

"Ignore him" Lexie pleaded with Derek, hoping that he'd at least have enough sense to drop this conversation because she really didn't see the big deal.

Mark turned to Lexie with a scolding look on his face that was clearly telling her to be quiet; he then turned his attention back to Derek. "The meatballer was the one who sootchered her face…"

"Yeah I know" Derek answered abruptly as he looked at Lexie's bandage and then back to Mark, "by the time I was paged to examine Lexie the sootchers had already been done…what was I supposed to do, tell Hunt to take them out so _you _could do them?" Derek asked with an indignant look on his face.

"He trached a guy with a ballpoint pen" Mark retorted as he took a step closer to Derek.

"Mark you seriously need to let that go" Lexie exclaimed as she threw her hands in the air, the second that she got no response out of either one of them Lexie realised that they had both now completely forgotten that she was even in the room.

"Mark come on, be reasonable" Derek pleaded because he really didn't want to get into another fight with Mark, and he really didn't even understand what the big deal was.

It was at Derek's plead for Mark to calm to down that Lexie could feel her headache getting worse, and she knew that it was pointless to ask them to shut up because they wouldn't even hear her. By now Mark and Derek were both talking so loudly and so fast at one another that neither of them was even listening to what the other one was saying; Lexie shook her head in disbelief as she closed her eyes. Leaning back against the pillows Lexie began to rub the side of her temples in hopes of drowning out the sound of Mark and Derek's voices.

Lexie couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief as the sound of a loud whistle echoed through the room which instantly silenced both men, opening her eyes Lexie saw Meredith standing at the foot of the door. It was clear to Lexie that her sister had been the one to shut Mark and Derek up because her fingers were still in her mouth.

Meredith stood their in complete shock at the scene in front of her, she had come up there with the intention of making a peace offering to Lexie in the form of hot tea only to hear screaming halfway down the hall. When she finally managed to get to the room she was even more surprised at who was doing all the yelling. Meredith turned her attention to Lexie as the room went dead silent and she could clearly see the pleading look in her sister's eyes to get both men the hell out of there. Meredith walked towards Mark and Derek, "get out!" Meredith ordered in a booming voice as she pointed towards the door.

"What?" both men asked with a surprised look on their faces, unable to believe that Meredith was kicking _them _out of the room.

Meredith looked over her shoulder at Lexie and shook her head in disbelief, which only caused Lexie to giggle, and then turned her attention back to Mark and Derek. "I said get out" Meredith exclaimed once again as she placed a hand on each of their backs and began pushing them towards the door. Once Meredith had finally managed to get them over the threshold she stood their intrepidly, "I don't care what you two do but you are going to get the hell out of this house" Meredith ordered as she looked over her shoulder at Lexie with a smirk on her face, she knew that if she wanted the men...especially Mark to listen then she'd have to play dirty. "And I strongly recommend that you do as your told if either of you" Meredith stated as she point backwards and forwards between Mark and Derek "plan on seeing a naked Grey again…_ever_" Meredith ordered with a mischievous grin on her face as she slammed the door shut on them.

"Did she just…" Mark asked in a complete daze as he pointed towards the door, Mark couldn't seem to wrap his head around the fact that Meredith had just kicked him out the room.

"Aha" Derek managed to utter with his mouth hanging open and eyes glued to the door as he stood beside Mark, astonished at the fact that his fiancé had just kicked him out and threatened him with no sex on top of that.

"You don't think that they…" Mark asked without actually finishing the rest of that sentence because he knew that Derek would understand the question.

With a cocky smile on his face Derek finally managed to pull himself out of his own stupor and turned to Mark, "Not a chance…well at least not for Meredith" Derek replied as he slapped Mark on the back "as for Lexie…well I guess it just depends on whether or not you've been a good little boy" Derek teased. Derek began to walk away from Izzie's room, knowing full well that if Meredith decided to patrol the hallway and saw the two of them still standing there that she'd be furious. "Come on" Derek called out from the top of the stairs as he waved Mark over, "there should be a pot of hot coffee downstairs".

Reluctantly Mark tore his gaze away from the bedroom door and looked at Derek, and despite the crappy morning he had had Mark couldn't help but smile at his best friend. Derek stood at the top of the stairs with a big cheesy grin because he was happy, he was happy to see Mark behave the way he was because he had never seen Mark like that before. And it was in that moment that Derek realised that this was the real deal for Mark, that Lexie wasn't some fling or an itch that needed scratching…she was it and that made Derek feel crappy. Because the more he saw Mark and Lexie interact with each other the more the guilt ate away at him for interfering in the first place, and it only helped to solidify what he already knew…that he had _no right _to ask Mark to stay away.

"It better not be that decaf crap" Mark joked as he playfully slapped Derek on the back before making his way down the stairs, with Derek not far behind.

**************

"Thanks" Lexie managed to say awkwardly as the two of them both began twiddling their thumbs because of nerves. It was the first time that they had been left alone together in quite awhile and neither one of them knew what to do next. Lexie knew that she wanted her sister to be apart of her life, she knew that she wanted Meredith to stop being so ashamed of being related to her, she wanted Meredith to at least acknowledge the fact that there was a family connection there…but most importantly she didn't want to push Meredith.

"No big" Meredith finally replied as she shrugged off the gratitude that Lexie was showing her, because Meredith really hated it when people focused on her actions for too long.

In an instant the room went back to complete silence once again, only this time Meredith really wanted to say something but she just didn't know what. This morning when Lexie laid unconscious in the ED Meredith got a wake up a call, she realised in that moment that hard as she might try or might want to she'd never be able to get rid of Lexie because she was her…family. And with Derek's help Meredith was slowly beginning to realise that family was important, and that she couldn't continue to hate or blame Lexie for something that had nothing to do with her. Meredith couldn't continue punishing Lexie for Thatcher's decision to walk away from her, it was unfair to Lexie and more importantly it was unfair to their relationship…if that was what you could even call it. But Meredith realised that she wanted that to change, after all that was the reason she had offered to take Lexie home after the accident and that was the reason she had brought Lexie a cup of tea. Meredith wanted to change how things were between them, but Meredith wasn't also naïve, she knew that it was going to take some work and that while she was ready to do the hard yards she wasn't completely ready to throw herself entirely into the big sister role…_baby steps_ Meredith told herself. "I brought you some tea" Meredith explained as she reached out to take the cup she had placed on the dresser earlier, making her way over to the bed Meredith hesitantly held the cup out because she wasn't sure how Lexie would react to the gesture.

Lexie could feel her eyes going completely glassy at the gesture that was made by Meredith, she also realised that this was Meredith's way of trying to evolve. Lexie closed her eyes as she tried to control herself because the last thing she wanted to do was scare Meredith off, and Lexie knew that that was exactly what would happen if she started crying in front of her. Finally believing that she had a control over her emotions Lexie opened her eyes to see Meredith still standing their with the cup still held out, "thanks" Lexie replied with a big grin as she accepted the cup and took a sip from it.

Meredith awkwardly stood frozen to the ground, not really sure whether to stay or leave but Meredith decided to stick to the latter option. "I'll let you get some rest" Meredith offered as she made her way towards the door.

Lexie could suddenly feel a sense of panic rise up inside of her because she didn't want Meredith to walk out on her, and she didn't want to ruin what would probably be Meredith's only attempt at reaching out to Lexie. "So I guess we're not holding Derek and Mark to your threat" Lexie called out because it was the only thing that she could actually think of off the top of her head.

Meredith couldn't help but smile at her sister's question as she turned on her heels, "I don't know about you but I have a tendency to make a lot of empty threats where Derek's concerned…you know the _if you don't do as your told then no sex for you _kind of threats" Meredith offered as she slowly inched towards the bed.

Lexie shook her head as she placed her tea on the bedside table, "I learnt awhile back not to bother making those kind of threats where Mark's concerned because there is _no _way that I'd ever be able to stick to them".

"Well he is called _McSteamy_ for a reason" Meredith joked with a smile.

"Yeah well I'm sure _McDreamy _isn't any better" Lexie joked back and the two both let out a huge laugh at their boyfriends expense.

Silence filled the room again and Meredith went back to twiddling her thumbs, there was a burning question that she really wanted to ask but wasn't sure how. Lexie on the other hand seemed to notice instantly that there was something bothering Meredith, "Meredith you can ask me whatever it is you wanted to ask?"

"How do you know that I want to ask you anything?" Meredith asked, however it came out sounding a lot more defensively then she intended.

Lexie shook her head in disbelief, "despite what you might think about me I'm not all smiley faces you know…besides are you forgetting that I happen to be involved with a dark and twisty person?"

Meredith gave Lexie a confused look as she made her way over and sat down on the edge of the bed opposite Lexie, "I didn't forget..." Meredith started to say as she was cut off by Lexie.

"Good, because believe me Mark is _no _walk in the park, half the time it's like playing charades…I have to work out what Mark's thinking and feeling from his body language because apparently syllables and him don't get along" Lexie joked hoping that Meredith would pick up that she wasn't serious.

"Are we really that bad?" Meredith asked knowing full well that she wasn't only referring to Mark.

"No" Lexie answered frankly as she shook her head, "sometimes you need dark and twisty a lot more than happy and smiley. Besides Mark's definitely worth the effort…it's just a matter of learning how to adapt" Lexie explained as she reached out for her cup of tea. After taking a sip Lexie looked up from her cup and back at Meredith, "and you know what sometimes if you're really lucky you get to see a part of the dark and twisty stuff that everybody else misses".

"Do you love him?" Meredith asked rather abruptly, realising that she needed to just to spit it out.

"Yes" Lexie immediately responded without hesitating for a single second, "and he knows it, I told him last night and guess what" Lexie asked as she looked at Meredith.

"What?" Meredith asked with a hesitant smile on her face, because as much as she wanted to work on this _thing _with Lexie Meredith wasn't sure if she was ready for the touchy feely talks.

"He didn't run…he didn't jump out of the window and run for the hills like you and Derek were so convinced that he'd do".

Meredith quickly dropped her head as embarrassment took over her because she now knew that what she had asked Derek to do was wrong. While Meredith still had her reservations about Mark and Lexie she was willing to put them aside for the time being…at least for Derek and Lexie's sake. "Just do me a favour…the next time you're concerned about my involvement with someone come and talk to me, don't get Derek to ask Mark to keep little Sloan away" Lexie asked as she tried to stop herself from laughing at the idea of Derek telling Mark to keep little Sloan away from little Grey.

"Deal" Meredith immediately answered as she crawled along the bed so she could rest against the pillows next to Lexie. "Look here's the thing…I don't know how to do the sister thing. I mean I know how to do the person thing because Cristina's my person and I'm her person…but the sister thing not so much" Meredith manage to say all in one breath before she lost the nerve, for some reason beyond her understanding Meredith felt the need to explain to Lexie that she might screw this up and do a few things wrong.

Lexie shook her head casually, "I'm not expecting best sister of the year or anything like that, just hearing you say _hi _to me inside the walls of the hospital, or acknowledging me as your sister is all I really need. The rest…is a working progress and when you're ready I'll be waiting" Lexie explained in the hopes of alleviating Meredith's fears about embarking on this big sister/little sister relationship.

Meredith sat in silence as she thought about Lexie's words and realised that there was one more thing that she really wanted to ask her. "Well then I guess there's really only one question left" Meredith stated as she paused for effect while looking at Lexie. "Think you could muster up enough patience to be my bridesmaid…" Meredith managed to get out before she was engulfed in a hug by Lexie. Meredith awkwardly hugged Lexie back as she tried to refrain from squirming at the same time.

"Sorry" Lexie sheepishly whispered as she pulled back from Meredith the minute she had sensed her discomfort, which was another trick Lexie had picked up from Mark over the last few weeks.

Meredith tried to casually shrug it off but she knew that it wasn't going to be as easy as that, "I'm just not big on hugging…I mean besides Derek, because obviously we have to hug…"

Lexie shook her head quickly in Meredith's defence, "it's fine, it's my fault I just got a little bit over excited because…well to be honest with you I wasn't even sure if you'd want me there. I mean I know that Mark would have taken me as his date but…but apart of me was freaking out that you'd be furious that I was there and I really didn't want to ruin your wedding day…"

"Lexie shut up" Meredith exclaimed with a smirk on her face, "you're absolutely right, I would have _hated _having my family at my wedding" Meredith responded sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.

Lexie giggled as she shook her head and hit Meredith with a pillow, "for future reference I really don't like being made fun of…just ask Mark because he learnt the hard way".

Meredith didn't really have anything to respond to that so instead she did the only thing she could think of, leaning forward Meredith pulled out a pillow from behind her and hit Lexie across the arm. "And _you_ should know that I _always _hit back" Meredith explained as the two of them began to hit each other and laugh uncontrollably.

***************

"What the hell are they doing up there?" Mark growled looking up at the ceiling as he was seated the dining table.

"They're doing sisterly things" Derek responded as he made his way over to the table with two mugs of steaming hot coffee in his hands.

"Meredith doesn't _do _sisterly things" Mark hit back as he took the mug and sipped from it, wincing as the steaming liquid hit the tip of his tongue.

"She's evolving" Derek replied with a smug look on his face because he was really proud of her, over the last few weeks Meredith had shown a level of maturity that Derek had been beginning to question whether she could ever reach. But luckily for him Meredith had proved him wrong during his little _break _as he liked to think of it and this was definitely one of those times that Derek didn't mind being wrong.

"Didn't you have a surgery this morning" Mark asked after taking another sip of his coffee, he had suddenly remembered that Lexie was scheduled to scrub in on Mr. Reynolds' surgery this morning before coming home.

"Yeah unfortunately Mr. Reynolds' surgery had to be pushed back after Lexie's accident…besides the guy didn't seem very appealed to the idea of having the surgery done when he found out that Lexie wouldn't be scrubbing in" Derek explained with a smile on his face.

Mark smiled as he let out a small chuckle, it didn't surprise him that a patient wouldn't want the surgery without Lexie by their side because if it was Mark he'd definitely want Lexie by his side. "She has that kind of affect on people" Mark explained with a fond smile on his face.

Mark's comment brought another thought to the forefront of his mind, something that had been nagging him for the last few hours, and no matter how much he knew that Mark _didn't _want to have this conversation Derek needed it. "Look I know that we agreed to skipping straight to the part where everything's good between us rather than going over the whole apologising thing…but there's something I need to say" Derek started to say has he ran his finger around the rim of his cup, not looking Mark in the eye.

Mark scrubbed his face with his hands and let out a muffled groan, "Derek my very rare Friday morning off turned into a very crappy Friday morning off…do me a favour and don't make it any worse than it already is" Mark asked assuming that he was about to get a lecture for doing what he was specifically told _not _to.

Derek nodded his head because predictably he knew that Mark wouldn't want to have this conversation, but Derek really believed that if they were going to truly move past all of this then he needed to get this stuff off his chest. Derek raised his mug so he could take a sip from it and after swallowing he turned his attention back to Mark, "shut up and let me apologise…" Derek began to say when Mark cut him off.

"Woah, woah" Mark exclaimed as he held his hands up in defense, "did I just hear right?" Mark questioned hesitantly. "You" he pointed at Derek "want to apologise to _me_" Mark asked as he pointed at himself.

"Yes" Derek answered with a smile on his face because he knew how much Mark was going to love this.

"So basically what you're saying is that you want me to give you a chance to admit that I was right and you, Derek Shepherd, were wrong" Mark asked, taking the chance to milk this for all it was worth because Mark doubted that he'd ever find himself in this kind of situation again.

"You love this don't you?" Derek asked curiously with a smirk.

"Pretty much" Mark answered frankly as he rested his head in his hand and smiled at Derek.

"Stop that you're freaking me out" Derek ordered but as soon as he realised that Mark wasn't going to make this easy for him just so he could get a little bit of pleasure out of this Derek chose to carry on, "so as I was saying…"

"Stop, stop" Mark exclaimed as he jumped up from the table, "I've got to get this on video" Mark teased, loving this more than he should.

"Shut up and sit down" Derek ordered as he reached out and yanked Mark back down to his chair. After Mark had taken his seat again Derek tried to be as serious as he could muster, "ok so as I was saying I wanted to say that…"

"I was right" Mark cut in, "and you were…" Mark said as he held his hand out towards Derek as he waited for him to finish the sentence.

"Wrong" Derek answered bluntly while rolling his eyes, "smugness is not a good look on you _and_" Derek exclaimed as he held his finger up to tell Mark to shut up and wait. "As I was saying…I'm sorry for what I did, I had no right to interfere in your life and I had no right in suggesting that you stay away from Lexie".

Mark shook his head in amusement, "suggested…you put the Berlin Wall around Lexie" Mark stated with a smile on his face because he knew that this was as close to an apology as he was ever going to get from Derek.

"And yet you still didn't listen" Derek hit back as he finished off the last of his coffee.

"You know as far as apology's go this has to be the worst apology I've ever heard, you haven't done this much" Mark informed Derek as he too finished his coffee.

"Ya think" Derek hit back letting out a chuckle as he rose from his chair so he could discard the mugs in the sink, "after all we are talking about me…and I'm more use to being the one who _accepts _the apology_" _Derek placed his hand against his chest, "not _making _them…"

"Now who's being smug?" Mark asked as he glared at Derek with a smirk on his face.

"I'm sorry and can we please move on from this?" Derek asked as he waved his hands in surrender.

Mark chuckled as he rose from his chair and made his way over to the counter were he held his hand out, "you were doing what Meredith asked you to do…I _should _have listened but I'm grateful that I _didn't"_ Mark explained.

Derek stepped forward and shook Mark's hand when he was suddenly hit with a thought, "that's very grown up of you Mark" Derek commented light-heartedly.

Mark casually shrugged off Derek's compliment, "I'm evolving…and it's only because of Lexie".

Derek suddenly had a look on his face which was a cross between amusement and horror, "my god I'm marrying _you"_ Derek exclaimed.

"Excuse me?" Mark asked almost mimicking the look on Derek's face.

"Meredith…she's all dark and twisty like you and she's evolving because of me. She's the female version of _you _and Lexie's the female version of _me…_" Derek was saying when Mark began waving his hands for Derek to stop.

"Don't ever say that again…I actually _like_ having sex with Lexie" Mark stated feigning annoyance at Derek.

"Well I was…" Derek started to say as he was cut off by the sound of Carolyn's voice.

"Derek!" Carolyn called out as she ran as fast as she could towards the kitchen before dropping the load of groceries she was carrying.

Mark turned on his heel and quickly made his way over to Carolyn so he could help her by taking some of the groceries. Derek made his way around the kitchen counter only to have his mother swat his hand away with her free hand. "There's more in the car…go get them" Carolyn ordered as she dumped the bags onto the counter and turned to Mark with a big grin on her face. "I'm surprised that you're even here, I thought after the talking to that I gave you that you'd go running for the hills", Carolyn couldn't help but chuckle at her own joke.

"Yeah I think you're forgetting that I'm not nature boy, that's Derek's kind of thing" Mark teased back with a small grin as he began to help Carolyn unpack the food.

"True…you always have been more of an indoor man" Carolyn ribbed back as she opened the refrigerator to put the milk away.

"Ok, this is the rest of it" Derek exclaimed as he dumped all of the newly purchased food onto the bench.

"Thank you sweet heart" Carolyn exclaimed as she began to rummage through the paper bags in search of something but suddenly froze, slowly Carolyn raised her head and gave her sons a dubious look. "Why are you two home at 11 am on a Friday?"

Mark chose to ignore the question and went back to looking through the groceries in search of something sweet; Derek on the other hand was more than pleased to answer Carolyn's question. "There was a little accident at the hospital so Lexie had to come home…"

"Is she alright…does she need me to do anything for her" Carolyn began rambling as concern began to consume her.

"Mom everything's fine" Derek exclaimed as he placed his hands on her shoulders to get her to stand still, "she's upstairs with Meredith"

"Oh ok then" Carolyn answered sheepishly and went back to her work.

With her back turned to the boys Mark gave Derek a confused look as he mouthed "what the hell was that?"

Derek shook his head with a smile as he shrugged at Mark's question because he really had no idea what that was all about. In the entire time that he was married to Addison Derek could never recall his mother showing that much concern for his wife. Deciding that he needed to change the topic quickly Derek looked at all the grocery's then back at his mother, "uhh mom I know that we have a tendency to forget to eat let alone buy food…but don't you think you've gone a bit over board?" Derek asked hesitantly.

Carolyn quickly looked over her should with a sweet smile, "of course not Derek, I need all this food if I'm going to be cooking us a nice family dinner tonight".

As Carolyn turned her back to Derek his smile quickly left his face as he looked at Mark with a look of complete fear. Mark was doing everything in his power not to laugh at Derek because he knew that the minute Meredith heard about this dinner she'd have a complete panic attack.

Carolyn could see the uneasy look on Derek's face and Mark's look of complete joy at Derek's unease, stepping forward Carolyn draped her arm around Mark's shoulder. "Honestly Derek it's nothing to worry about…it's just a small dinner with me, you Meredith, Mark and Lexie".

The instant that those words were said Mark's smile fell from his face and Derek couldn't help but beam, "uhh Mrs. Shepherd I don't think…" Mark began to argue when Carolyn cut him off.

"Nonsense Mark you and Lexie will be there…understood" Carolyn exclaimed, making it perfectly clear that he wasn't going to get out of it.

"Oh he'll be here" Derek answered on Mark's behalf with a devious smile on his face.

Mark shook his head in defeat and dropped his head into his hands wondering how the hell he was going to tell Lexie about this one.

**************

_**Thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing this so far, keep them coming guys and hope you all continue to enjoy it. Please, please, please review. If you do I promise to update ASAP, and I'm pretty good on delivery :D **_


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Carolyn sat silently as she observed the four people sitting around her, not one of them had uttered a single word to each other from the moment they had sat down to dinner.

Mark and Derek were both too preoccupied with a _let's see who can finish the wine off first _competition they had going on to talk, Meredith kept fidgeting every five seconds and Lexie sat in complete silence next to Mark as she scraped her food around on the plate.

This wasn't how Carolyn had planned for this to go, she thought that having a nice family dinner was something fun that they could do, that it would give her a chance to watch the interaction between all of them...yet in hind sight Carolyn could now see that having a root canal would have been far more fun than this. Carolyn shook her head in disappointment as she took a sip of her wine; "I swear to god the four of you are acting as if this is the Spanish Inquisition" Carolyn commented as she looked down at her plate so she could cut her meat.

"I'll take the Spanish Inquisition over this any day" Mark muttered under his breath as he reached out for his glass of wine, but unfortunately for him it came out a lot louder then he thought and everyone had heard it.

"Shut up and drink your wine" Derek ordered with a smirk on his face because he knew how busted Mark was.

"Well I'm terribly sorry that you're in excruciating pain sitting here having dinner with your family Mark, if you have something better to do then please by all means the door's that way" Carolyn hit back as she nudged her head in the direction of the front door with a disappointed look on her face, she had hoped that she could at least count on Mark and Derek to make an effort.

Mark really didn't know what say to Mrs. Shepherd's outburst. It wasn't that he hated having dinner because he loved having dinner...with Lexie, but this had been the first time that he and Lexie had sat down with Derek and Meredith as a couple.

"So Lexie, Derek tells me that that Jackson boy has finally left for Boston?" Carolyn stated making it sound more like a question than a statement, hoping that it would at least spark up a conversation.

Lexie froze in her seat, not really sure how to answer that. The last thing that she wanted to be doing right now is to have a conversation about Jackson Reid…stammering as she tried to find the right words she could feel everyone's eyes on her so Lexie spat out the first thing that had popped into her head, "Meredith's letting Izzie plan the wedding".

Carolyn's attention quickly turned from Lexie to Meredith without hesitating, Jackson Reid now only but a distant memory to Carolyn. "Isn't Izzie that tall blonde that lives her with you and Derek?" Carolyn asked as she tried to picture Izzie in her head.

"Yes" Meredith responded with gritted teeth as she looked pointedly at Lexie, who conveniently had her head down. Meredith wasn't the type to gush over floral arrangements or wedding dresses...in Meredith's own world the ideal wedding would have been her, Derek and county hall, but she knew that Derek would never fall for that idea.

While Meredith and Carolyn continued to stare at each other as they waited for the other one to say something first, Mark and Derek were more than happy that the women were ignoring them as they continued to down the bottle of wine.

"Interesting..." Carolyn let out in a sing song voice as she raised her glass of wine, "I thought that Lexie would have wanted to help you plan the wedding...I mean you know what they say, practice makes perfect" Carolyn stated alluding to a second wedding within the Shepherd family as she took a sip from her glass.

As the words came out of Carolyn's mouth Lexie's head shot up in her direction knowing full well that the man sitting next to her would be flipping out, Mark practically jumped out of his chair stammering "I think we need more wine".

Carolyn gently placed her glass back down and reached out to grab Mark's hand, "sit down, you and Derek have had more than enough wine" Carolyn ordered as she yanked Mark back into his seat reluctantly.

Derek couldn't help but smile at the scene that was unfolding before him, the minute that his mother had informed him of her dinner plans he had a bad feeling about it. In the end Derek couldn't stop smiling because he was right, this dinner had turned out exactly the way he had imagined it would.

"I'm a bridesmaid" Lexie managed to utter in Meredith's defence of her lack of participation in planning the wedding.

"You are?" Derek stated with a stunned look on his face, "Did you know about this?" Derek asked as he turned his attention to Mark.

Shaking his head in silence Mark looked back and forth between Meredith and Lexie with a surprised look also on his face. "Honestly…why are you two acting so surprised that Meredith would want her _sister _apart of her wedding" Carolyn stated as she shook her head in disbelief.

While Derek, Mark and Carolyn were caught up in their own conversation Lexie quickly looked up at Meredith and mouthed _I'm sorry_, hoping that Meredith would forgive her for throwing her in the deep end. Meredith shrugged her shoulders casually before mouthing back _its ok_, because it really was ok...Meredith had moved on from it; and truth be told if it had been the other way around Meredith knew that she would have done the same thing.

Meredith was so caught up with finding a way to end this conversation that she hadn't even heard her name being called out by Derek, "Meredith...Mer" Derek called out again as he clasped her hand.

Jumping in her seat Meredith shook her head then turned to Carolyn, "Izzie's sick so I thought that it would help get her mind off of things" Meredith explained defensively, "with cancer...she has cancer" Meredith went on to explain, as if mentioning the word cancer would be the end the conversation.

"Well I'm sorry to hear that..." Carolyn replied hesitantly because she wasn't really sure how to answer Meredith's statement. And just as Meredith was about to speak Carolyn held her finger up to stop her, "Meredith clearly you're uncomfortable discussing the wedding so why don't we drop the subject and talk about something else" Carolyn offered with a sincere smile, hoping that Meredith understood that she understood that wedding talk wasn't really Meredith's style.

Having decided that she had eaten about as much as she could Lexie rose from her seat so she could collect her plate, as she began walking towards the sink Lexie stopped in her tracks. "Lexie is there something wrong with my cooking...you've hardly touched your food?" Carolyn questioned with a concerned look.

Turning on her heels Lexie began incessantly shaking her head as she made her way back over to Carolyn, "oh no Mrs. Shepherd the food tastes wonderful, I'm just not that very hungry..." Lexie began to say when Carolyn cut her off.

Carolyn quickly rose from her seat and took the plate away from Lexie before propelling it towards Mark, after checking Lexie's temperature with her hand Carolyn then turned her attention to her son. "Derek you are certain that you checked Lexie out properly aren't you...I mean aren't headaches and a loss of appetite symptoms of something worse..." Carolyn began to ask frantically, while Lexie rolled her eyes.

"They're also the result of a little something known as a _concussion_ mom...trust me, I did every test that was necessary and then some..._she's fine_" Derek explained exasperatedly because he wasn't really in the mood to have this fight with his mother after having it earlier with Mark.

Lexie placed a hand on Mark's shoulder as she leant up against him as she took her plate from his hand, "Mrs. Shepherd I appreciate the concern but Derek's right...I'm fine. I'd also appreciate it though if we could just drop this entire conversation before Mark really does give himself an aneurism" Lexie asked as she scrapped her food into the bin and then placed the dish into the dishwasher.

Sighing in defeat Carolyn sat back down and looked at Mark, "so this is what it feels like to have two doctors gang up on you?"

Mark grunted at Carolyn's question, "you have _no _idea what it's like...try putting up with them when she" Mark pointed behind over his shoulder at Lexie "hasn't slept and he's" pointing at Derek "having Meredith problems at _5am_…then come and talk to me" Mark responded as he also rose from his seat so he could discard his plate.

"Hey I'm not that bad" Lexie retorted feigning offence at Mark's comment as she took his plate from him.

Mark shook his head with a smirk, "you're lucky I like having you around" Mark joked as he reached out to cup Lexie's cheek and kiss her softly on the lips, completely forgetting where he was.

Meredith and Derek both suddenly felt uncomfortable because they had never seen Mark or Lexie like this before, and they both felt as if they were interrupting something.

Smiling as she pulled away from him Lexie made her way back over to the table, "ah what do you think you're doing?" Mark asked as he dashed over to Lexie and took his wine glass out of her hand.

"I'm thirsty" Lexie pouted crossing her arms.

"Water's on the bench" Mark offered with a stern look, clearly showing that he wasn't budging on this.

"Mark" Lexie whined, "It's only a _sip_, it's not like it's going to kill me…just ask the neuro".

As every head in the room turned to Derek his eyes practically bulged out from their sockets, being thrown on the spot wasn't something that Derek was used to. "Now you're asking for _my _advice?"

"No, we're asking the other neurosurgeon in the room" Mark answered sarcastically.

"Ignore him" Lexie told Derek as she slapped Mark on the chest as she stole the glass from him and quickly took a sip.

"Lex…" Mark exclaimed as he tried to reach out for the glass, Lexie stepped back with a grin on her face. Shaking his head in feigned annoyance Mark sat back down, "you know all you've done today is tell Derek to ignore me…I'm starting to think that you're only with me for my body…"

"I'm glad that you're finally getting the picture" Lexie joked as she snaked her arm around Mark from behind him.

"Well I think that it's time for us girls to go and enjoy some quality time together while the boys here finish cleaning up" Carolyn said as she rose from her seat.

"When did we offer to do the dishes?" Derek asked Mark with a frown on his face.

Shaking her head at her son Carolyn couldn't help but smile at him, "Derek you tried to use that argument when you were fifteen, it didn't work then and it's not going to work now".

"Why do you ask stupid questions?" Mark asked with a smirk on his face.

Derek rose from his seat and was about to begin cleaning the table when Lexie beat him to it. "No, no Lexie...I have one major rule in my house and that's that the chef never cleans up after herself..." Carolyn protested.

"Right, but I didn't cook you did" Lexie explained as she pointed towards Carolyn with the plates still in her hand, "besides Derek and Mark both had a hectic day. I'm pretty sure the last thing either one of them wants to be doing is cleaning the dishes".

"That's beside the point" Carolyn argued back while beaming at Lexie, she realised early on that Lexie was going to be fighter and she loved that. "You are in no condition to be standing let alone doing dishes".

"Fine" Lexie surrendered knowing well enough to admit when she lost a battle and put the plates back down onto the table.

"Wonderful, now you and Meredith can join me in the living room while these two clean up...because I think it's about time that you both learn a thing or two about these _men_" Carolyn stated as she walked off after giving both Mark and Derek devilish grin.

"Sorry" Lexie mouthed as she gave Mark a quick kiss before following Carolyn into the living room, Meredith not far behind.

"Should I be worried" Mark asked.

Derek couldn't hold back a chuckle at Mark's question, "of what...my mother telling your _girlfriend _and my _fiancé _the most embarrassing stories that she can think of about us...nah" Derek answered sarcastically.

"So we gatecrash" Mark suggested.

"Gatecrash...what are you twelve?" Derek asked as he finished clearing the table. 

"Excuse me if I'm uncomfortable with the idea of leaving my girlfriend alone with your mother" Mark retorted.

"Relax, mom's not going to eat her…they're just gonna talk. Besides what have you got to worry about? Lexie knows practically every sordid detail there is to know about you and guess what…she's still here" Derek offered with a smile on his face. He wouldn't admit it out loud but he loved this, he loved watching Mark squirm because it meant that this was important to him…that he'd do anything and everything to get it right.

"That's the part that scares me" Mark explained leaning against the sink.

"And wallah…dishes are done" Derek exclaimed with a triumphant smile on his face as though he had just found the cure for cancer.

"Yeah take it easy there bus boy; pressing the start button isn't really applause worthy" Mark joked.

"Shut up" Derek bit back as he threw the kitchen towel at Mark, grabbing two beers from the fridge and passing one over to Mark the two headed in search of the women.

Derek and Mark stood in the hall way watching Meredith and Lexie rolling around on the couch while laughing their heads off. Neither of them was sure whether that was a good thing or not, the two braced themselves as they made there way into the room.

Lexie and Meredith had both just been able to regain their composure when Mark and Derek stood in front of them. While Meredith was able to maintain her self-control Lexie wasn't, the moment she saw Derek a fit of laughter took over her. Covering her mouth as she tried to stop the laughing Lexie shook her head to try gain some control. "What's the matter with her?" Mark asked with a furrowed brow at Carolyn's direction, not sure whether Lexie's laugh was directed at him or Derek.

Managing to regain a minute iota of self-control, Lexie looked up at the men and was only able to answer Mark's question with two words, "Mr. Pee-pee".

"_Mom!_" Derek exclaimed incredulously at his mother.

"Derek please, you're acting as if I told them about the time you had locked yourself out of the house" Carolyn hit back with a little smile.

"What's so bad about that?" Meredith asked with a raised eyebrow.

"_Naked" _Mark exclaimed with a smirk, and that seemed to be the only encouragement that Lexie needed to start laughing again…only this time Meredith was more than happy to join in.

"What is this pick on the neuro day?" Derek asked feigning being hurt.

Mark swatted Lexie's legs off of the couch as he sat down beside her, "how does it feel…Mr. Pee-pee".

"Now Mark don't you start….just remember I have stories to tell mister" Carolyn threatened him with a huge smile on her face, clearly telling Mark that she was joking.

"Please do" Derek begged as he sat down in the only empty chair left.

Before Carolyn could say anything in response the sound of a ringing cell phone cut her off.

Derek groaned in frustration, "one night…just _one _night where I'm not being dragged back to the hospital. Is that to much to ask for?" Derek asked in frustration.

"Uh Derek it's not your phone" Lexie exclaimed waving her vibrating phone in the air.

"Excuse me" Lexie sheepishly stated as she made her way out into the hall way.

Looking down at the unknown caller I.d on her phone Lexie looked over her shoulder to make sure that no one was behind her, after assuring herself that the coast was clear Lexie took a deep breath and answered her still vibrating phone. "Hello" Lexie exclaimed hesitantly.

"Dr. Grey?" a foreign voice asked on the other end of the line.

Lexie furrowed her brows in confusion as she continued to stare towards the now empty kitchen, "yes" Lexie answered hesitantly because she really didn't have a clue who she was talking to.

"I apologise for disturbing you at this unruly hour however my son seems intent…" the woman began to say when Lexie cut her off.

"Son…I'm sorry mam but I think you have me mistaken with someone…" Lexie began to argue.

"Are you or are you not Alexandra Grey, the woman sleeping with Mark Sloan…my _son_".

**************

_**Thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing this so far, it took a while to get this out there, been swamped with Uni work. So keep the reviews coming guys and I hope you all continue to enjoy it. **_


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Lexie froze as the words _my son _played over and over again in her head. Gazing off into the empty kitchen with a far away look on her face, Lexie couldn't seem to get her head and her mouth to co-operate with one another. She knew that she had to say something; hell at that point even a squeak would suffice because the woman on the other end of the line for all intense purposes was Mark's _mother. _

"My son certainly can pick them" Diana pointed out while ridiculing Mark's choice in women.

"Uh, um…Mrs…um Sloan" Lexie managed to utter in a hushed tone, hoping that Mark wouldn't overhear her addressing his mother.

"Are you a mute or just simply that incompetent?" Diana asked critically with a rather cold and distant tone in her voice.

"Ye…yes, I…" Lexie stuttered as she began to get all flustered at the way that Diana was responding to everything she said.

"Well which one is it then, are you a mute or are you just plain stupid?" Diana asked in a scathing tone, because frankly she had neither the time nor the patience to carry on a conversation with someone so idiotic.

Lexie felt ridiculous because she was standing in an empty hallway shaking, and it was all because of the sound of Diana Sloan's voice. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves before even attempting to form another sentence. "Mrs. Sloan I don't mean to be rude but now is it exactly that you got this number?" Lexie paused to see if Diana would protest but only heard silence. "But that doesn't really matter does it? If you'd like I can call Mark…" Lexie began to ramble.

"My reasons for calling have nothing to do with my _son _and everything to do with _you_. So I strongly recommend that you concern yourself less with how I acquired your contact details and more with what it is exactly that I want from you. And to begin with you can meet me at the Warwick Hotel bar _now_…and not a word to my son_"_ Diana ordered ardently.

"Mrs. Sloan I don't think you understand…"

"Don't keep me waiting…I can get quite impatient" Diana threatened before hanging up on Lexie.

Astounded and horrified at the same time at what had just happened Lexie started to think about the millions of reasons why going to meet Diana Sloan behind Mark's back was a _bad _idea. Completely focused on her phone Lexie had not even realised that she had made her way back into the living room until the sound of Mark's voice pulled her out of her thoughts, "everything ok?"

"Uh yeah…uh it was Cristina, she needs me to get down to the hospital" Lexie explained even surprising herself with the lie, because somewhere between the hallway and the living room Lexie's mind had already made the decision to meet Diana's request.

Mark's smile immediate dropped to a frown at Lexie's words, "like hell you are! If Yang needs a lap dog running around she can use one of those other tatter tots because you're _not _going anywhere".

Lexie let out a sigh of frustration because in her whole deliberation over whether or not to go she hadn't once even thought about how she was going to get away from Mark. "Mark I have to go, Cristina's having trouble reading some of the charts that _I _wrote and I can't even remember what I wrote let alone explain it over the phone" Lexie protested.

"Lexie you had an accident…remember that throbbing head ache you had earlier before" Mark scolded while crossing his arms, willing to fight this out if he had to. "Besides you can't drive" Mark stated, hoping that Lexie would see sense with that argument at least.

Meredith sat in silence during the whole conversation with a frown on her face, because she knew for a fact that Cristina was no where even near Seattle Grace, intrigue as to what Lexie was up to exactly stuck Meredith so she made the offere, "I'll drive her there…"

"Oh no Meredith, I don't want to put you out" Lexie protested, completely oblivious to what Meredith knew.

"It's no problem Lexie, I have to cheek up on a patient and besides I think we've monopolised Mrs. Shepherd's time. With us two gone the guys can have some quality bonding time" Meredith quickly explained while quickly playing along with Lexie's lie as she searched of her car keys.

Lexie had to stop herself from rolling her eyes, trust Meredith to choose _now _to act all sisterly. Lexie debated whether or not to just tell Mark the truth about where she was really going, but Lexie didn't really want to get into another fight with Mark. Because Lexie knew that if she told Mark the truth a fight would be inevitable…especially where his parent's were concenred. So going along with Meredith's offer seemed to be Lexie's only way out. "If you're sure…"

"I'm sure, now lets move it Grey" Meredith exclaimed with a smile on her face as she stood next to the opened front door.

Grabbing her coat and bag from the couch Lexie quickly gave Mark a kiss on the cheek before saying goodnight to Derek and Carolyn and bolted out the front the door with Meredith right behind.

Carolyn clapped her hands together as she rose from her seat, "well I certainly know how to clear a room" she stated sarcastically.

"Mom" Derek began as he also got up from his seat "they weren't running from you…"

"Derek I was only joking, it's like I told Lexie yesterday...after raising five" Carolyn shook her head "no _six_ doctorsI'm used to having conversations cut short. Besides saving a life is far more important then little old me" Carolyn explained.

Derek frowned at his mother's comment and kept looking between Mark and his mother, "you spoke to Lexie yesterday?" Derek asked with a look on his face that was clearly showing the signs of a Derek Shepherd freak out.

Carolyn rolled her eyes at Derek's behaviour; she had expected this sort of reaction from Mark since Lexie was after all _his_ girlfriend. "Yes Derek we spoke yesterday…in fact we had a full conversation that lasted well over fifteen minutes without any interruptions, and I have to say that it was probably the most pleasant thing I've done during this entire visit" Carolyn stated.

"Now if you'll excuse me I think it's time for me to hit the hay" Carolyn explained as she walked over to Derek and kissed him on the cheek, "good night sweetheart". She then turned to Mark and did the same thing only when she pulled away from him she gave Mark a serious look, "please tell me that you aren't planning on driving home tonight?"

Mark shook his head and rolled his eyes at Carolyn's over-protectiveness, and while on the surface it looked like Mark was annoyed he and Carolyn both knew that deep down he loved it. Because it gave Mark something that he never really had before he was adopted into the Shepherd family, it gave Mark a mother.

"Don't worry mom he'll still be here when you wake up in the morning" Derek jumped in knowing perfectly well that Mark wasn't going anywhere until Lexie came home.

"Good" Carolyn stated with a satisfied smile on her face, "and don't stay up too late you two" she ordered in the same tone she used to when ever Mark and Derek had a sleepover when they were little kids.

"Yes ma'm" both Mark and Derek answered playfully at the same time while trying to not laugh at Carolyn's retreating back.

The moment that Derek heard his mother's bedroom door close he instantly turned to Mark with a serious look on his face.

"What?" Mark asked as he went to sit down on the couch.

"My mother had a conversation with Lexie" Derek stated in what almost sounded to Mark like a whiney tone and sat down next to him.

"So…"

"So, _so_…you really don't get it do you? You don't get the fact that my mother had a _real_ and a _long _conversation yesterday with Lexie" Derek exclaimed in exasperation at Mark.

Mark furrowed his brows in Derek's direction, not really sure what the hell was happening. He wasn't really there for Derek when he had his freak out so Mark wasn't sure if this was stemming from that, "and the problem with that is…" Mark asked hesitantly with a sombre look on his face.

"She _liked it_…'it was the most pleasant thing I've done during this entire visit" Derek mimicked as he threw his hands up in the air.

"So what…she had a nice conversation with Lexie, who hasn't" was the only thing that Mark could think of saying because Derek's reaction really wasn't making much sense to him.

Derek shook his head in disbelief, "you don't get it".

"Clearly" Mark answered bluntly.

"My mother had a real conversation with Lexie. Yet Meredith, the women I love…the women I am going to marry hasn't…"

"What?" Mark interrupted while shaking his head as he tried to stop himself from laughing, "Mrs. Shepherd and Meredith talk".

"Yeah Meredith talks to my mother in short bursts of sentences but that's only when mom asks her a question. Tell me when was the last time that you ever saw or even _heard_ Meredith initiate a conversation with mom?" Derek asked glumly as he waited for Mark's answer which was reduced to nothing but a laugh, "You think this is funny?"

Mark could see in Derek's eyes that he was dead serious about this so he tried to control his laughter but he was failing miserably. Deciding that this conversation was getting a bit to serious for his liking Mark thought about taking another approach to Derek's sudden change in moods by trying to make him laugh, "I'm laughing at you, I'm laughing at the fact that you…Derek Shepherd are _jealous of me"_ Mark explained through short fits of laughter.

"Shut up" Derek pouted as he sat up and took a sip of his beer that was still sitting on the coffee table.

"No, no I'm serious. Somewhere in that warped and twisted mind of yours", Mark explained as he stretched out and ruffled Derek's hair, "you've convinced yourself that Mrs. Shepherd likes _my _Grey better than _your_ Grey, all because of one measly conversation that they had". Mark turned his head to see Derek stairing at his beer bottle with a glum look on his face, clearly not haven gotten Mark's joke. "Remember earlier how you said that I'm Meredith and you're Lexie" Mark asked despite the fact that even thinking about that idea made him want to gag. "Well it only makes perfect sense that Meredith can only handle Mrs. Shepherd in short bursts. You and Lexie were raised to do the whole parent thing, for you two dealing with parents is like bringing honey to the bees…"

"What the hell do bees have to do with anything?" Derek asked with a look that was a cross between a smile and a frown.

"Just shut up I'm going somewhere with this, now as I was saying you and Lexie are naturals when it comes to parents. Whereas for me and Meredith we don't do parents, fathers have never liked me and as for Grey, well she's…evolving. But that doesn't mean you can throw her in the deep end and expect her to swim like a pro".

"Ok who are you and where is the _real _Mark Sloan" Derek asked with a smirk.

"I'm evolving" Mark stated flatly as he rose from his seat "and now I'm going to bed or do you have some other Meredith crisis that you need me to handle for you?" Mark teased.

Derek shook his head "no it's good, I'm just gonna wait up for Meredith...but if you're bunking here tonight you may as well take Izzie's room instead of the attic. Apparently Izzie's relinquishing the rights to her room in favour of Karev's when she finally gets released from the hospital. Meredith was thinking about offering it to Lexie later tonight so it's all yours.

"Thanks" Mark managed to get out through a tired yawn as he stretched out, Mark hadn't realised it until now but the lack of sleep had finally caught up to him.

"But if you plan on spending a lot of your nights here do me a favour and remember that Izzie's room is _across_ _the hall_ from ours…we can hear _everything_ and some of us actually do need sleep in order to function properly" Derek asked with a pleading look.

Mark shook his head with a full blown grin, "I'm not making any promises" Mark joked as he headed towards the stairs.

Derek couldn't help but smile as he watched Mark stomp up the stairs in search of Izzie's _old _room, Mark had changed and Callie was right. Derek was pissed that he had missed out on it because of his stupid pride, and it was at that moment that Derek swore to himself that it would never happened again.

********************

"Ok so where am I really taking you?" Meredith finally asked after pulling the car over onto the side of the road.

"Wha…I told you that Cristina needs me" Lexie began to explain with the intention of sticking to her story but stopped as soon Meredith held her hand up.

"I know that you were lying back there because _I _know for a fact that Cristina isn't even anywhere near the hospital. Why do you think I drove a couple of blocks before pulling over, if Derek…and more importantly _Sloan _happened to see us stalling they would have known you were lying. So spill, where is it that I'm actually taking you?" Meredith finally finished in a fluster.

Lexie sighed in defeat, she knew that her plan was hopeless and besides the more that Lexie thought about it the more stupid she felt. She was a grown woman hiding the fact that she had been _summoned _to meet what Mark, Derek and Mrs. Shepherd thought of as the devil herself, "that phone call before wasn't from Cristina….".

"Clearly" Meredith cut in, "so now will you tell me where the hell it is exactly that you're wandering off to in the middle of the night and why you couldn't tell Sloan…" Meredith was saying as she stoped mid sentence and tightened her grip on the steering wheel. "Oh god, oh god, oh god please do not tell me that you are meeting that Reid guy…please do not tell me that I am now officially an accomplice to infidelity?"

"What! No, no" Lexie exclaimed in complete shock as she shook her head repeatedly. Lexie quickly looked down in shame before slowly looking back at Meredith who was silently waiting for an explanation. Sighing in defeat Lexie gave Meredith a pleading look, "don't tell Mark" but it was more of a question then a statement.

Meredith scoffed at Lexie's question, "clearly you don't pay much attention because unless it's about your or Derek Sloan and I don't do the whole talking thing, your secret's safe with me so spill"

"It was Mrs. Sloan" Lexie exclaimed as she threw her hands up in the air in exasperation.

"Mrs. Sloan, as in Mark's mother…as in _Mama Sloan_" Meredith asked with wide eyes.

"Yes, she somehow got a hold of my number and practically summoned me to the Warwick Hotel so we could 'have a little chat', but apparently I can't tell Mark" Lexie finally explained and it felt good because she hated secrets.

Meredith shook her head in confusion, "I thought that Mark hated his mother?"

"He does, in fact if he could forget that either one of them existed Mark would be a very happy man".

"Then why is she even here and how does she know who you are?" Meredith asked dumbfounded and almost in a panic on Lexie's behalf because her sister didn't seem to really grasp the seriousness of the situation. "And why in the hell aren't you freaking out? You're supposed to be freaking out, normal girlfriend's freak out when they're being summoned by the mother. Because meeting the parents is a big deal…meeting the parents is like a test…they want to see how far they can push you before you snap…" Meredith began to rant like a mad woman getting all worked up.

Meredith could feel all the dread and fear that she had felt when she had found out about Mrs. Shepherd's first visit rising to the surface again. "Mere, _Meredith"_ Lexie called out as she shook her sister by the shoulders, "you're acting like a crazy person" Lexie explained with a small smile.

Meredith shook her head in protest, "I'm not the crazy person, I'm not the one acting perfectly calm when they're about to meet their future mother-in-law. The girl not freaking out about this kind of stuff…she's the crazy person".

Lexie rested her head against the back of the seat stairing at the roof of the car, she sat there thinking about how to answer Meredith's question. Finally Lexie settled with the most obvious answer, "first off I think we're a long, long way from referring to Diana Sloan as my mother-in-law. Secondly if it was anyone else I would be freaking out but it's not, it's Mark that we're talking about. An luckily for me Diana Sloan has _no _say what so ever when it comes to Mark's life…so no I'm not freaking out because I don't have to please her. There's only _one _women that I had to please I did that the first time I met her".

"Who was that exactly?"

"Mrs. Shepherd" Lexie explained with a _dah _look on her face, "but then again that was after she squished my face and asked me how many sexual partners I've had and whether or not I have a criminal record" Lexie reminisced back to what now seemed like such a simpler time.

"So you're telling me that the whole time I was freaking out about meeting Mama Shepherd all on my own we could have been freaking out _together_?" Meredith asked with a clear look of annoyance on her face.

"In my defense you had ordered that little Sloan stay away from little Grey, so technically I couldn't freak out with you…and really it was more of a spare of the moment thing, like a surprise attack. I didn't know about her and she didn't know about me until Mark decided to spring it on the both of us" Lexie explained defensively.

"Now see why couldn't my stupid fiancé do that huh, why couldn't he have just sprung it on me like a normal person?" Meredith asked while she started the car and pulled away from the curb.

"Where are we going?" Lexie asked with a confused look because neither of them had really agreed on a destination.

"You have a mother to meet" Meredith explained in a tone that was clearly telling Lexie that she was not going fight her on this one.

Lexie never actually answered Meredith's comment; instead she sat there with her head pressed up against the window of the car watching the street lights and buildings pass them by as they made there way to the Hotel. Letting out a deep sigh Lexie couldn't help but second guess herself for the millionth time since she had gotten into the car, because Lexie couldn't get the look on Mark's face out of her head once he finally finds out where she really had been. She knew that things between Mark and his parents were bad, after all that was why Lexie stopped asking questions early on. Mark was never really receptive to Lexie's questions and the more she pushed the subject she could see the growing hurt that Mark felt towards his parents…really how does anyone get over the fact that there parents never really wanted them let alone loved them. At that thought Lexie couldn't help but sneak a peek at Meredith because wasn't that what Ellis Grey and her own father had essentially done to her. Thatcher walked away from Meredith while Ellis tried to carry on with her life as though Meredith wasn't even there. Sitting up straight Lexie was about to say something to Meredith, for some reason she felt the need to make some sort of offering on her father's behalf but before she had the chance the car came to a complete stop.

Meredith turned to Lexie with a smile on her face, "we're here" Meredith stated before jumping out of the car.

"Wha…wait what?" Lexie asked with a confused look on her face and scrambled to get out of the car just as Meredith was handing her car keys over to valet parking.

"What are you doing?" Lexie asked as the young guy who couldn't be more than 19 walked around to the drives side.

Meredith stood there frowning at Lexie, "you don't think that I'm actually going to let you face Mama Sloan on your own?"

Lexie was stunned was to say the least because that was last thing that she had expected Meredith to say, Meredith hated parents so why the hell would she be offering herself up to a woman that she had no obligations to. "Why?" seemed to be the only word that Lexie could get out as she walked up to Meredith with a stunned look on her face.

"Because I've been there, I've done the Mama Shepherd thing and compared to Mark's mother Carolyn Shepherd was a walk in the park. But it still would have been nice to have someone help me through it…not that you need help with Mama Sloan" Meredith stated as she grabbed Lexie's hand began to drag her through the hotel lobby, still not really being able to believe what she was doing herself…_"damn Derek Shepherd and his stupid progress_" Meredith muttered under her breath despite the fact that deep down inside she liked the idea of helping her sister.

"Ok" Lexie stated with a small smile as she let Meredith drag her along, "but I'm begging you…do not call her Mama Sloan".

**************

_**Thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing this so far, it took a while to get this out there, been swamped with Uni work. So keep the reviews coming guys and I hope you all continue to enjoy it. **_


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

"Wait, wait!" Lexie exclaimed to Meredith who was half-way towards the bar.

Meredith froze in her spot and gave Lexie a blank stare while waiting for an explanation, the two of them were standing in the middle of a hotel bar looking like idiots and Meredith knew that. But before she could say anything Lexie quickly yanked Meredith's arm so that the two of them were now hiding behind a huge plant that Meredith swore looked like a palm tree.

"Lexie what the hell are we doing, we look like idiots hiding behind this stupid tree" Meredith asked as she flicked one of the leaves from the plant.

"I'm trying to be inconspicuous" Lexie explained defensively in a hushed whisper.

Meredith shook her head as she rolled her eyes, "job well done then" Meredith commented sarcastically. Meredith began to walk back towards the bar but turned to her sister, "congratulations by the way".

"What for" Lexie asked with a frown on her face.

"For finally acting like a normal person…for freaking out about meeting Mama Sloan, so congrats" Meredith offered as she pated Lexie on the shoulder.

"I am not freaking out" Lexie retorted defensively but Meredith gave her a _yeah right_ look. Lexie quickly shook her head to dismiss Meredith's silent comment, "the only reason I stopped you is because I don't think it's a good idea for you to come with me".

"_What?_" Meredith asked while looking at Lexie as though she had suddenly grown a second head, "are you insane?"

"No, it's just that if I show up with you by my side then Mrs. Sloan is going to think that I'm some weak, pathetic woman that gets easily intimidated and who needs her hand held. And that is not the first impression I want to make" Lexie explained defensively in the hope that Meredith understand where she was coming from.

Meredith stook a step back and cocked her head to the side so she could get a good look at the bar while still hiding behind the plant, "which one is she?" Meredith asked as she scanned the room in an attempt to pick out Mark's mother.

Lexie took a step closer to Meredith and also stuck her neck out over Meredith's shoulder, "how the hell should I know, it's not exactly like Mark has pictures of her all around his hotel room" Lexie answered while also scanning the room.

Just as Meredith was about to make a comment they were both caught off guard by the sudden of "ah hum". Both women hesitantly looked over their shoulder and quickly stood up straight again at the sight of the hotel manager standing in front of them, "may I help you" he asked rather coldly.

Lexie began to shake her head when Meredith gently clasped her arm to signal Lexie to keep quite. Meredith took a step forward and tried to muster up the sweetest smile she could give the rather tall and lanky man, "actually I was hoping that you might be so kind as to point out Mrs. Sloan?"

The minute that Meredith uttered the name Sloan the man's demeanour did a complete one-eighty and he was suddenly warm and polite towards them. Walking towards the bar the man signalled for Lexie and Meredith to follow him, he froze at the entrance of the bar and scanned the room until he finally spotted her. "Mrs. Sloan is the madam situated at the bar in the pale white suite, I hope you have a wonderful evening" the man offered politely before walking away.

"Ok this won't be so bad" Lexie tried to psyche herself up into actually walking over towards Diana Sloan.

"Are you sure about this?" Meredith asked as she stood next Lexie, for Meredith it was hard to explain but there was this irrational part of her that wanted to protect Lexie from all of this, to take her home before she could get hurt.

"Yes" was the only answer that Lexie was able to come up with, suddenly none of this seemed like a good idea. Lexie could feel her chest tighten and she had to close her eyes for a second to stop herself from collapsing right there in front of everyone. All Lexie wanted more than anything right now was to run home and crawl into bed with Mark and forget that Diana Sloan ever existed, but she couldn't because Lexie knew that the not knowing would eat at her.

"Ok then let's got" Meredith announced as she began to walk but was quickly pulled back by Lexie.

"Remember what I said, you stay away from the bar" Lexie ordered as she pointed at Meredith.

"Fine" Meredith reluctantly agreed as she canvassed the area to find the best place to wait. Meredith suddenly smiled when she was hit with an idea, "look you don't want me anywhere near you and Mrs. Sloan but Mrs. Sloan won't even know who the hell I am…so I'm just gonna go make myself comfortable a few bar stools down from her" Meredith explained and quickly walked off.

"Meredith, Mere" Lexie hissed at her sister who was completely ignoring, Lexie couldn't go running after her in case she made a scene. A part of Lexie couldn't help but feel grateful for Meredith's need to be here with her, because right now she really needed it. Stealing herself for what was about to occur Lexie took a deep breath before marching straight over to Diana Sloan.

"Mrs. Sloan?" Lexie asked hesitantly as she took in the appearance of the woman sitting at the bar. At first glance Lexie could definitely see where Mark had gotten some of his looks from. Mark had clearly inherited his piercing blue eyes from Diana but as she looked into them Lexie could see that they were missing the warmth that she grown accustomed to seeing in Mark's. Lexie was the first to admit that Mark Sloan was undeniably attractive so if this was what one half of the gene pool looked like then Lexie could only imagine what his father looked like.

Diana Sloan was the epitome of pristine perfection, dressed in her crisp clean designer suite and not a single piece of hair out of place. The first word that popped into Lexie's head was stuck-up, but she scolded herself for even thinking it and had to monitor every word that came out of her mouth so that she wouldn't let it slip. Diana was currently sitting at the bar with her legs cross as she played with the lace of pearls that were adorned around her neck; it also allowed the light of the bar to help emphasis the sparkle of her diamond rings.

"Mrs. Sloan" Lexie called out again with a bit more confidence than the first time.

The moment that Diana had hear her name being called out she instantly let her pearl necklace fall down against her neck and gave Lexie a pointed glare. She looked Lexie up and down with a look of discontent at the appearance before her. Lexie was the complete opposite of Diana Sloan, as she stood there wearing a pair of washed out jeans along with a tank-top underneath her brown jacket and a pair of sneakers.

Warm and welcoming were the last words that Lexie would use to describe the woman who had already averted her attention back towards her martini. Lexie knew that it was pointless in waiting for an invitation to sit down so she silently took the seat beside Diana.

Diana sat there stairing at her martini while she twirled the tooth pick of olives around in her drink, "tell me, will my son be in need of a good criminal attorney anytime soon?" Diana asked before she gulped down the martini.

"Excuse me?" Lexie managed to get out while battling the nerves; she knew that she needed to get herself under control.

"You must understand that I'm asking for the sake of my son, because clearly age has no barrier where my husband and son are concerned…as they say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" Diana declared coldly as she signalled to the bartender for another drink.

Lexie could feel the anger rising inside of her as she subtly leant forward so she could get a look at Meredith who was sitting three sets down from Diana, and the expression on Meredith's face gave Lexie no doubt that she could hear everything that was being said. Seeing the look of disdain on Meredith's face gave Lexie an anchor for her anger, knowing that there was someone else in that room who cared about Mark gave Lexie a bout of confidence.

"I'm not" Lexie began to say but stopped as the bartender approached them with Mrs. Sloan's glass, the bartender hovered for a second to wait for Lexie's order but she merely shook her head and waited for him to leave. The minute that Lexie had sat down beside Diana she had decided that this visit would be as quick as possible. "I'm not going to sit here and pretend to know anything about you or Mr. Sloan because believe me you and he are the last thing that Mark would want to talk about. However I am confident in saying that Mark is absolutely nothing like his father, but then again you would know that if you could even be bother to get to know him" Lexie answered defensively. At that moment Lexie made a snap decision not to care what this woman thought of her because she meant nothing to Lexie and more importantly she meant nothing to Mark. Lexie realised that what she had said to Meredith in the car was actually true, Carolyn Shepherd was the only woman she needed to impress and if Carolyn had her way the church would have already been booked by now.

Diana froze with her glass mid-air at Lexie's sudden outburst, in all her years she had never heard anyone speak that way to her and a part of her was intrigued while the other part was stunned. "Clearly you have no issue in voicing your opinion where my son is concerned, but let me give you a piece of advice" Diana replied before taking a well needed sip of her drink. "Fidelity is one word that is definitely _not _in Mark's vocabulary, I'm afraid I was unable to shield him from his father's influence" Diana stated bitterly.

Lexie wasn't sure if Diana was making a dig at Mark or her husband, but what she did know was that the woman sitting beside her knew absolutely nothing about the man that Lexie had come to love. "Mrs. Sloan if you asked me here to warn me away from your son then I'm afraid that you're wasting your breath because I'm not going anywhere" Lexie insisted with an even bigger air of confidence, the more that Mrs. Sloan insulted Mark the more confident Lexie felt not only in herself but in their relationship.

Diana had to giggle at Lexie's little outburst, "my son's finally managed to find one with a bit of fire in her…I'm impressed" Diana stated with a proud look on her face as though she had hand picked Lexie for Mark.

"Mrs. Sloan…" Lexie began to say but was cut off as Diana began to wag her finger while gulping the rest of her drink. Lexie couldn't help but notice that Diana was chugging them down fast, she had to wonder whether part of Diana's inability to be a proper mother was because of a drinking problem.

"No, no, _you _can call me Diana" she insisted with a forced smile.

The complete change in attitude sent warning bells off in Lexie's head, she wanted something but what Lexie had no idea. "I'm not one for playing games so if you could just tell me what it is that you want from me then we can both go our separate ways".

Sitting a few seats down Meredith couldn't help but smile at the way that Lexie was handling herself; she could only wish that she had had that much confidence around Carolyn.

"My son has chosen to be rather aloof where I'm concerned, I've been trying to get ahold of him for the past few days…only he keeps dodging my calls" Carolyn explained while silently thanking the bartender for her refill. "So I thought of trying that drab hospital that he works in, only they told me that he wasn't there. Of course that sweet and delightful nurse..." Diana began clicking her fingers as she tried to remember the nurse's name, "Bolivia…anyway that doesn't matter. She was more than willing to pass on your details once I explained that I was Mark's mother and that I was in urgent need of getting a hold of him" Diana explained as she took a sip of her drink. "Actually she was the one to point out my sons new lifestyle change".

Lexie made a mental note to thank Olivia for keeping her mouth shut before turning her attention back to Diana, "so I'm hear because…." Lexie asked questioningly.

"Darling you're here because clearly you have some sort of hold over my son…why god only knows" Diana demeaned as she looked Lexie up and down once again. "I mean if _you _of all people could convince my son to give monogamy a chance than surely you can convince him to meet with me"

Lexie once again subtly leant against the bar so that she could glance over at Meredith who looked like she was about ready burst out of her seat. "Why, I mean why do you want to talk to Mark now…I mean after all these years why do you suddenly want to talk to Mark _now_?" Lexie asked with a heavy air of suspicion towards Diana.

Diana let out a sigh of defeat, "I've come to realise that I've made a lot of mistakes in my life up until now, Mark being the biggest one of them all, and I'd like the chance to make it right".

Lexie wasn't sure whether she actually bought Diana's story, there was this nagging voice in the back of her head telling her not to buy it. "You could start by laying off the alcohol" Lexie explained as she quickly snatched the martini glass out of Diana's hand. "Besides I'm not so sure that I should be getting in the middle of all of this, especially when I know how strongly Mark feels about you and Mr. Sloan".

Diana gave Lexie a devious smile while quickly taking the drink from Lexie once again, "sweetheart I'm afraid you made the decision to get in the middle of this the moment you agreed to meet me here. And I'm willing to bet every pretty penny to my name that you have absolutely no intentions of telling my son where it is exactly that you where tonight" Diana patronized as she took a sip of her drink.

Meredith had been trying to hold herself back as she listened to the conversation going on three seats down from her but she had finally reached the end of her rope, she jumped out of her seat and stormed over towards Lexie. "Ok enough is enough, we're out of here" Meredith exclaimed as she yanked Lexie out of her chair.

"Meredith" Lexie called out in mock appal because deep down she was grateful for the intrusion, Lexie was way out of her depth here.

"Oh look another lackey" Diana announced at Meredith's appearance with a frosty reception as she took another sip of her drink.

"Hey how about you lay off the booz" Meredith exclaimed as she took the glass from Diana and slammed it down onto the bar, "because if ya did you'd realise that my sister isn't some sort of puppet you can manipulate and bend to do your bidding".

Meredith stepped in front of Lexie so that she could shield her from Diana's influence, "if you're serious about wanting to make amends with your son than you need to be the one to approach Mark, and you need to be the one to apologise" Meredith explained.

She thought back to Richard's apology…the only sincere apology she had actually gotten for what she had been put through by Thatcher, her mother and the Chief.

"You were the parent in all of this; Mark was just a little kid who needed his parents to act like adults…to actually put him ahead of themselves. But you couldn't, you couldn't be the parents that Mark needed you to be because you were too busy living _your _life. Well guess what that leaves scars lady, it affects everything you do, everything you say and every relationship you ever have from that point on….because if your own parents couldn't love you enough to put you first then who will?" Meredith exclaimed in anger, it had been everything she had wanted to say to Thatcher and to Ellis and it was everything she couldn't.

"Mark won't be able to ever let this go until you can look him in the eye and tell him that it wasn't his fault…that he was a good kid but that you were just a lousy parent. And it better be one hell of an apology…not some half-assed one that's face to face" Meredith ordered.

Meredith began to walk away but stoped to look over shoulder, "by the way lady you've clearly never asked someone for a favour before…let me give you a hint, insulting them is definitely not the way to go". Meredith quickly pulled Lexie along as she walked away from the bar.

********************

Meredith and Lexie stood side by side as they waited outside for the valet to bring the car round, Lexie snuck in little glances at Meredith who was huddled up in an attempt to protect herself from the cold. Lexie couldn't get what Meredith had said out of her head, she wondered if that was the way that Meredith had felt about her own parents…would Meredith have been a completely different person if Ellis and Thatcher had made different decisions. "I'm so…"

"_Don't_" Meredith announced as she kept moving to try and keep the blood circulating in her. "Don't tell me you're sorry for what he did, it's too little too late".

Lexie silently nodded her head and looked down at the concrete pavement because it was easier than seeing the hurt in Meredith's eyes, she wondered if that was the way Mark looked when ever he thought about his own childhood.

"I think I finally get it" Meredith announced.

"Get what?" Lexie asked hesitantly because she didn't want to scare Meredith off, a talkative Meredith was a rare thing.

"Why I disliked Sloan so much to begin with…he was me" Meredith revealed as she turned to look Lexie in the eye. "Mark was me, we had both been burnt by our selfish parents but we had different ways of dealing with it. While I was trying to ignore them and hide from the scars Mark walked in and allowed his scars control his life…it's hard to hide from something when someone else won't, he was a constant reminder…."

"But look, you're both evolving" Lexie proclaimed supportively.

Meredith walked over to Lexie and wrapped her arm around Lexie's arm, "yeah…who would have thought a year ago that _I _would be engaged to Derek and that Mark would be a one woman man…we're evolving" Meredith stated just as her car pulled up.

Just as Meredith and Lexie were each about to climb into the car Meredith called out to Lexie over the roof top, "you know it's because of you and Derek right…the only reason we're evolving is because of these emotionally healthy people who for some stupid reason decided to fall in love with dark and twisty people".

With a huge cocky grin Lexie nodded her head, "absolutely" she replied before climbing into the car.

*******************

Each of them quietly entered the house so as to not wake anyone up, and just as they were about to climb the stairs they were startled by the sound of Derek's voice. "How were things at the hospital?" Derek asked as he sat up from the couch, Derek wasn't sure what the time had been when he had fallen asleep.

Meredith and Lexie were both standing in the middle of the hallway dumbstruck at Derek's question, neither one of them had discussed whether or not Lexie was actually going to tell Mark the truth.

Meredith quickly walked over to Derek, flopped down onto the couch beside him and gave him a kiss, "my patient's still alive" Meredith declared with a grin on her face as though that was a huge success for her. Meredith had made the decision to go on with the lie in the hopes of buying Lexie some more time to figure out what it was she wanted to do.

Lexie silently nodded her head with a strained smile on her face because she hated lying to Derek just as much as lying to Mark and now Meredith was wrapped up in all of it, "well good night" Lexie declared and began to walk away.

Just as Lexie was about to climb the stairs she stopped as Derek called out to her, "Mark's upstairs in Izzie's room".

Lexie hesitantly walked back down towards Derek and Meredith with a frown on her face. But before either Lexie or Derek could say anything Meredith jumped in, "I spoke to Izz this morning and Izz said she won't need it once she comes home…so it's all yours".

Lexie silently gave Meredith a tired but huge grin before running up the stairs, she couldn't help but laugh as she heard Meredith scolding Derek for taking all the fun out of her surprise. Once reaching Izzie's room Lexie hesitated in entering the room because she still hadn't made a decision, so Lexie decided on the only think she could think of and that was to sleep on it.

Lexie quietly snuck into the room and found Mark fast asleep in bed, exhausted to move or to do anything else she quickly shrugged off her jacket while kicking off her shoes before crawling into bed. The moment that Lexie's entire body hit the bed Mark instantly wrapped his arm around her waist before burying his face into the nook of her neck and softly kissed her, to Lexie's delight she could feel Mark's bare chest against her skin. Lexie had to try and stifle a moan because she didn't want Meredith and Derek to hear something they shouldn't, "thought you were sleeping" Lexie asked in a haze of desire.

Mark stoped for a fraction of a second as he snorted at Lexie's comment before continuing to plant soft kisses down her neck and shoulder blade, and it had the exact effect that Mark had been looking for as Lexie finally released the soft moan she had been trying to hold back. Mark couldn't help but smile at the sound because it was like music to his ears; it gave him a sense of pride that he, Mark Sloan, could still get that sort of reaction out of Lexie after months of being together…and it was only a kiss. Mark had never really understood why so many people put so much emphasis on kisses, well that was until Lexie came along because all of the sudden Mark yearned for the feeling of Lexie's lips against his skin.

"Did Yang finally get _her _charting done?" Mark asked with a bitter voice between kisses along the side of her jaw, because lately Yang seemed to always find a way to interrupt them.

It was as though Lexie had no control over her entire body as it tensed up the second that he had asked that question and she knew that Mark could feel it as well.

"Hey what's wrong?" Mark asked as a wave of concern flooded him, he gently tugged on Lexie's arm so that she was lying flat on her back with Mark now covering half of her body. "Lex" Mark gently whispered into Lexie's ear knowing full well how that always managed to make her cave whenever he wanted something from her.

Lexie had to close her eyes as she silently shook her head in response to Mark's question, because she couldn't bare the look of concern on Mark's face as she lied to him. She also knew that Mark wouldn't let this drop so Lexie did the only thing she could think of, as she wrapped her arms around his neck Lexie wriggled herself under Mark so that he was now completely on top of her. "I seem to remember you having something else on your mind before you rudely brought up Cristina" Lexie stated while running her hands through his hair.

"Lexie..." Mark began to protest, unable to believe that words were coming out of his own mouth, that he was about to pass up on sex for talk.

Lexie tightened her grip on Mark as she assertively flipped Mark over so that he was one now on his back. Before Mark had the chance to protest again Lexie swept her tongue through his mouth and kissed Mark as hard and as forcefully as possible making sure not to hurt him. After finally pulling apart for some air Mark could see the burning desire in Lexie's eyes and he couldn't help but cock a smile at her, Lexie began softly raking her nails against Mark's bare chest as he leant forward to give her a sift kiss. "Well I do aim to please" Mark explained as he smiled against her lips.

While Lexie loved spending her time with Mark like this there was a sense of guilt eating away at her in the pit of her stomach. She was using sex as a way of avoiding a conversation that she knew she should have had with Mark. Lexie couldn't help but wonder if she really was any different to all those other women who had slept with Mark, who had used him for one reason or another. And it was in that moment that Lexie realised she couldn't do this, she couldn't use sex as a way of getting what she wanted out of Mark, which was essentially to change the subject. "Stop, stop" Lexie protested as she quickly swung her legs over and sat up on the bed.

Mark looked at Lexie with confusion as he leant against his elbows, "Lexie what the hell is going with you? I ask you about the hospital and you go all quiet on me, when I try to talk to you about it you tell me you'd rather have sex, and now you're telling me no…could you just tell me what the hell is going on because I'm not a mind reader Lexie" Mark exclaimed in frustration.

Lexie flinched at the sound of Mark's voice, because making him angry or playing games was the last thing she had wanted to do to him. Rubbing her hands against her face Lexie groaned in irritation as she cursed herself for not listening to her gut instinct. Lexie turned to the side to look Mark right in the eyes; she couldn't help but smile at the warmth she could see in those blue sparkling eyes…something that had been missing in Diana's. Lexie quickly stood up from the bed and began pacing up and down, "I wasn't at the hospital tonight".

Mark quickly jumped out of bed as well; the two of them were now facing each other with the bed between them. "Where were you then?" Mark asked hesitantly with this sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, he wasn't really sure that he wanted the answer but if he didn't ask Mark knew that it'd drive him crazy.

Sheepishly Lexie looked down at the floor as she mumbled "the Warwick Hotel" under her breath.

"What?" Mark asked with a raised eyebrow, he thought he had heard Lexie say the Warwick Hotel but he needed to hear it again for conformation.

"the Warwick Hotel" Lexie exclaimed as she threw her hands up in to the air in anger, only she wasn't angry at Mark but more at herself and at Diana.

The moment those words had come out of Lexie's mouth Mark's blood literally turned cold, he had absolutely no idea what the hell Lexie was doing at a hotel that wasn't the Archfield but more importantly that he wasn't staying at.

The moment that Lexie saw Mark clench his jaw and curl his fists up into balls she knew that she had a fight on her hands, "Mark I want you to remember that_ I love you_ and the only reason that I went was because of you" Lexie tried to explain in the hopes of calming Mark down.

"_For me_" Mark repeated dubiously.

"Yes" Lexie answered as she made her way around the bed to Mark's side and pulled him down onto the bed so that they were sitting side by side. Lexie took a deep breath to prepare herself for this and looked right at Mark, "before you say anything I want you to promise me that you'll let me finish explaining before you jump in" Lexie asked.

"I'll tell you the same thing I told Derek…I promise not to make anymore promises that I know I can't keep".

Lexie couldn't help but roll her eyes at Mark's statement before going back to the topic at hand, "the phone call earlier wasn't from Cristina, it was…" Lexie couldn't seem to get the words out. Lexie knew that she probably looked desperate right now but she knew how Mark felt about his parents and she didn't want him to feel like she was betraying him. "Swear to me that I won't lose you" Lexie asked pleadingly as she grasped Mark's hand and squeezed it tightly.

Mark cupped Lexie's cheek with his free hand, he could see the desperation in her eyes and Mark was scared out of his mind with fear as to what Lexie was about to tell him…but Mark did know one thing, that no matter what it was he was not going to lose her, that they'd do what ever it took to work things out because walking away from this was not an option for him. "I promise" Mark pledged and it was a promise that he was more than happy to make and more than determined to keep, even if it killed him.

"The phone call was from your mother" Lexie finally blurted out.

Mark froze as the words registered in his head, his mother…the woman who he had come to despise, the woman who had only helped to fuel his self-doubt. "Mark" Lexie whispered as she squeezed his hand again, but the only reaction she got out of Mark was him instantly jumping off the bed so that he could give them a bit of distance.

"My mother, my mother…my _mother_" Mark repeated over and over as he paced up and down the room.

"Yes Mark you're mother!" Lexie exclaimed, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm down while trying reminding to herself that it wasn't Mark she was angry at.

Mark pinched the bridged of his nose to try and stop the headache he could feel coming on that was primarily associated with his mother, "what did she want?"

Rather than circling the bed Lexie climbed onto it and crawled across it so that she was now sitting on her knees, only a few inches away from Mark. "She had asked me to meet her at the Warwick Hotel to talk about you…she wanted me to convince you to go and talk to her".

Mark was a ball of mess because on the one hand he was grateful that Lexie's reason for going to the Warwick had nothing to do with Jackson, while on the other hand Mark felt sick to stomach at the idea of Lexie going up against his mother without him there to protect her. "Well she can forget about that ever happening" Mark retorted back with a glare at Lexie.

Lexie quickly slinked back from Mark at the look on is face, but it wasn't quick enough as Mark grabbed her wrist before she could get away. "I'm sorry" Mark stated with a helpless look in his eyes, "It's not you I'm mad at…it's Diana that I'm mad at. But more importantly I'm mad at my self because I wasn't there to protect you, trust me when I say that I had no intentions of you ever meeting my mother…but I swore to myself that if that day ever did happen I'd be there for you and I wasn't".

"Mark I'm fine" Lexie answered as she gently ran her finger down the side of Mark's cheek; "she didn't hurt me Mark and besides Meredith was there the whole time. And If I don't mind saying so myself Diana Sloan got as good as she gave" Lexie explained with a smirk on her face.

Mark couldn't help but smile at Lexie's reaction to his mother, as he wrapped his arms around Lexie's waist and pulled her against his chest he gave her a soft kiss on her temple. "So she got as good as she gave huh?" Mark asked with a smile.

"Aha, you should have seen the lashing that Meredith gave her" Lexie announced proudly as she thought back to Meredith's rant. Lexie pulled on Mark so that the two of them fell onto the bed with Mark once again on top of her.

Mark ran his fingers through Lexie's hair before looking at her with a serious face, "so on a scale of one to ten how bad was she?"

"Mmhh I'd say an eight" Lexie answered as she kissed Mark with a sense of relief that there were no more secrets. "Though she could lay off the martini's a bit" Lexie advised in a hushed whisper.

"So in other words she was her usual endearing self" Mark remarked with disdain at the thought of his mother anywhere near Lexie.

"Mark what's really going on, I know that you and your parents have problems but is my meeting Diana really that bad?"

"First off never call her Diana because that makes you two friends and that is the last thing you and Diana will ever be. Secondly it is a big deal; the only consistent thing that Diana and Carter have done throughout my life is destroy anything good in it…particularly by scaring off those who actually mean the most to me. I don't think I could live with it if you were one of them" Mark answered as honestly as he could before kissing Lexie again.

Lexie smile against Mark's lips, "well I hate to disappoint you but Diana Sloan isn't as scary as you thinks she is, besides she did complement you on your choice of a woman with a bit of fire in her" Lexie answered with a devilish grin on her face.

Mark smirked back at Lexie's comment, "well how about we take some of that fire of yours and channel it into something far more pleasurable…for the both of us" Mark asked as he began fiddling with the buttons on Lexie's jeans. Mark knew that he hadn't fully processed the fact that the woman he loved and Diana Sloan had been in the same room together but he'd leave that for tomorrow, just like Mark chose to ignore the fact that he had referred to Lexie as the woman he loved…they were all things he could freak out about in the morning

**************

_**Thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing this so far, keep the reviews coming guys and I hope you all continue to enjoy it. **_


	20. Chapter 20

_Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story so far and I'm thrilled that there are people who really like this story. _

**************

**Chapter 20  
**

"Meredith come on" Izzie called out from her hospital bed, there was a hint of impatience to it and Lexie couldn't help but giggle at her. "Hey don't you mock me missy, there will be no mocking within these walls" Izzie ordered with a look on her face that was daring Lexie to challenge her.

"Meredith I swear to god if you don't get out here in five seconds I'm dragging your ass out of there" Izzie threatened while giving Lexie a wicked grin.

Lexie shook her head in amusement at Izzie's enthusiasm and energy when it came to planning Derek and Meredith's wedding. She couldn't help but wonder where she even got the energy for it because, if it was Lexie, planning a wedding would have been the last thing she'd want to be doing.

"It feels like this dress is giving me a mammogram" Meredith hollered through the closed bathroom door.

"_Too bad, now get out here_" Izzie responded before she started rambling on about other wedding things to Lexie, Izzie was too busy with her planning to even notice that Lexie wasn't really paying attention.

Lexie was trying to be the supportive bridesmaid and the supportive sister but right now she just couldn't do it; her head was far too busy analysing every single thing that had happened after she had come clean with Mark.

At the time Mark seemed to be fine, he seemed to have made peace with the fact that Lexie had lied to him and more importantly that Lexie had met his mother…but this morning Mark wasn't acting like someone who was fine.

Disappointed was the only way to describe how Lexie had felt when she woke up this morning only to find that Mark had already left the house and gone to work…on his Saturday off.

Any other Saturday Lexie wouldn't have been convinced that Mark was avoiding her because it wasn't unusual for Mark to be on-call. But today had been Mark's day off and everybody knew that he had to be literally dragged to the hospital on his days off because there were so far and few of them.

When Lexie arrived at the hospital she had tried paging him a few times only he never answered, and just as she had decided to hunt him down Meredith dragged her up to Izzie's room, telling her that she had to support her through the torturous task of trying on wedding dresses.

Lexie knew that she should have been concentrating on Meredith's wedding but she was too worried about Mark, worried that she had completely screwed things up and that Mark's distance was his way of running. Lexie knew that Mark's issues with his parents went deep and she really wanted to help him out, but not at the cost of their relationship.

"Lexie…Lex!" Izzie practically had to yell out to get her attention despite the fact that she was an arm's length away.

"Sorry" Lexie quickly answered as she was dragged back to reality and looked around the room. "Meredith?" Lexie asked.

"_Meredith Grey_" Izzie yelled for the millionth time.

"I'm coming!" Meredith exclaimed as she swung open the bathroom door to reveal herself standing there in a wedding dress.

Lexie and Izzie gave each other silent looks at the sight of Meredith in that particular dress, "what, what was that?" Meredith asked in a panic as she pointed between Lexie and Izzie.

"Nothing" Izzie and Lexie both answered in union as they turned their attention back to the dress.

"Liars, you gave each other the look, the _what the hell is she wearing _look"

"Mere don't you think you're being a bit over dramatic?" Izzie asked as she took a photo of Meredith with her cell phone.

"What are you doing?" Meredith asked with a frown, because she didn't want any kind of visual evidence of this left lying around.

"I'm taking photos for your website" Izzie explained.

Lexie had to stop herself from laughing at the sight of Meredith's face; it looked as though Meredith's stomach had dropped to the floor. "_Website_, what website are you talking about Izzie?" Meredith asked as she tried to remain calm.

"I thought that she was coming around to the idea of all this wedding stuff?" Izzie asked Lexie as a way of avoiding Meredith's question.

"Isobel Stevens I swear to god if you don't tell me what website you're talking about I'm going, I'm going to…"

"Breath Meredith, just breath" Izzie coached Meredith to try and keep her calm.

Lexie could see the tension building up in the room and Lexie hated tension, confrontation wasn't really her forte but Lexie really hadn't spent enough time around the two to understand that this was them joking around.

But before Lexie could say anything Meredith turned on her heel and headed back into the bathroom to try on the next dress.

**************

"Dr. Yang" Derek called out after he had spotted her at the nurses station.

"Dr. Shepherd" Cristina acknowledged him with a hint of hesitation.

"I'm only telling you this because you're Meredith's person, and she's happy right now…I strongly urge you stay clear of Dr. Sloan for the day" Derek suggested.

Cristina had to stop herself from snorting because staying away from Mark Sloan was the easiest order that Cristina had ever been given, "absolutely Dr. Shepherd" Cristina replied before walking away.

Ever since Cristina was a little kid she had this bad habit of needing to know everything, if someone told her that she couldn't do something then she needed to know why or the not knowing ate away at her. Reluctantly she walked back over to Derek, "I'm not asking because Plastics interests me, believe me Plastics is the last place where I want to be but why am I staying away from Dr. Sloan?"

Derek frowned at Cristina's question as he wondered if Yang was really that oblivious to the world out side of Cardio. "Dr. Yang I'm sure you know that it's very rare for an Attending_ and_ his girlfriend to have the same night off, so hopefully you can appreciate the fact that said Attending might be _upset _when his girlfriend is dragged back to the hospital in the middle of the night to do _your _charting" Derek explained.

For a split second Cristina had a perplexed look on her face because she had no idea what Derek was talking about, but the second she opened her mouth she was reminded of the promise she had made Meredith earlier this morning.

Earlier before just as Cristina was making her way into the hospital she got a text from Meredith, asking her that if she bumped into Derek or Mark to just go along with whatever they said and that she'd explain later.

Cristina had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at the nice gesture she was about to make, because Cristina didn't do nice. "I'll keep that in mind" she answered and quickly walked away before she opened her mouth and said something she shouldn't.

**************

Meredith stood there wearing the second wedding dress in what was a long line of them and personally Meredith was becoming quite uncomfortable with it all, trying on wedding dresses and gushing about it definitely wasn't her style.

Lexie and Izzie on the other hand both continued to sneak glances at each other as they both tried really hard not to laugh at the way Meredith looked in the dress. They both knew that if they cracked it would be the last dress that Meredith tried on, "well what do you think" Meredith asked as she started tapping her foot because this was getting really old really quick.

But before either one of them could answer her question Cristina stormed into the room and froze at the sight of Meredith, "what the hell are you wearing? You look like a snow cone" Cristina criticised.

The second Cristina made the comment both Izzie and Lexie lost the battle over their self-control and broke out into a fit of laughter. "Nice" Meredith scorned as she gave each of them a glare before storming back into the bathroom.

"Gee way to go at spoiling all my fun Cristina" Izzie complained with a playful grin.

Cristina chose to ignore Izzie's comment and looked directly at Lexie, "three do you want to explain to me why Sloan's out for my blood?" Cristina asked just as Meredith came out wearing the third dress.

All three of them turned to look at her and Cristina was the first to offer her opinion, "now you look like one of the village people" Cristina panned before turning her attention back to Lexie. "Well…"

"Well what?" Lexie asked before turning to Meredith, "maybe dress number four will be the one" Lexie offered optimistically in an attempt to change the subject.

Meredith groaned as she threw her hands in the air in frustration at the whole concept of weddings, "that's it I'm done. I have had enough with dresses, cakes and flowers and anything else wedding related, I'm not doing this anymore…"

"What are you going to do, walk down the aisle wearing scrubs" Lexie joked.

"_Yes!_" Meredith exclaimed as she jumped at Lexie's idea, because frankly it had been the best idea she had heard ever since the planning for this wedding started.

"No" Izzie stated as she shook her head laughing at Meredith's excitement over the suggestion. However Izzie's no turned into a flat out no once she saw the dead serious look on Meredith's face, she could kill Lexie for making the suggestion.

"Meredith you're getting married! It's a miracle. Meredith Grey, child of darkness, has found someone. Don't you want to celebrate that? It's your day Meredith. You can't just piss it away on some slip dress and a cheese tray from a grocery store. That will just make me sad, and I don't want to be sad 'cause I'm already suffering through cancer and that's sad enough" Izzie argued in a last ditch attempt to get Meredith fully on board with planning this wedding.

In that split second the atmosphere inside the room went from being all happy and playful to sad and sombre. Lexie looked at Meredith and Cristina, both looked uncomfortable at Izzie's comment, "Mama Sloan" Lexie quickly blurted out as a way of changing the subject.

"What?" Cristina asked as she looked at Lexie like she had just grown a second head.

"The reason that Mark's out for your blood is because last night I used you as an excuse to sneak off and meet Mark's mother" Lexie explained with a frown on her face.

"Wait a minute the women actually exists" Izzie asked as she took a handful of fries from the ones Alex had delivered earlier. "I mean Mark Sloan wasn't just born the way he..." Izzie was saying but quickly stoped at seeing the scowl on Lexie's face.

"Anyway, I don't see why Mark would still be upset with you...last night I told him the truth, I told him where I really was" Lexie explained.

"And he was fine with it, Mark didn't have some sort of great panic attack at the fact that his girlfriend and his mom were in the same room together?" Meredith asked with a frown because she would have picked that as something Mark would definitely freak out about.

"Last night he was fine with it. I mean we talked, had great sex then went to bed..."

"But", Izzie cut in because she could always sense when a but was coming.

"_But_ this morning he wasn't acting all fine, he snuck off to work on his day off and I tried paging him but he wouldn't answer any of my pages...his avoiding me" Lexie explained solemnly because just thinking about all of it really bummed her out.

Izzie shrugged at Lexie's explanation, "maybe his forgotten...maybe the idea of you and his mom in the same room was _so _traumatic for him the he blocked out the entire conversation".

"Mark doesn't forget things like that...it just doesn't make any sense why he'd snap at you" Lexie thought out loud as she looked at Cristina.

"Ah he didn't, I only found out about it because Shepherd told me to stay clear of him".

"Derek...my Derek" Meredith asked with a frown before turning her attention to Lexie. "I thought they're talking again Lexie, why aren't they talking if they're talking again. Why hasn't your stupid boyfriend told my stupid fiancé about where we really were last night...why Lexie, why" Meredith asked in a panic.

"Meredith calm down, it's not the end of the world" Izzie commented casually as she ate more fries.

"Not the end of the world...right now the only person who doesn't know where Lexie and I were last night is Derek, and if Derek finds out from somebody else that I lied to him his going to be pissed with me. I'm changing, I'm evolving...I'm not supposed to be keeping secrets from him, or help my sister keep secrets from her boyfriend..." Meredith argued but she froze mid sentence

"I think she finally cracked" Izzie commented as she sat up in bed.

Lexie slowly edged over towards Meredith and gently shook her by the shoulder, "Meredith you alright…Mere you in there?"

"I have to find him" Meredith whispered, "I have to find him" Meredith stated louder this time so that all three of them could hear her.

Meredith gathered the hem of her big white puffy dress, "Meredith what are you doing?" Lexie asked with a concerned look on her face.

"I have to find him" Meredith exclaimed as she began running to the door.

"Meredith, Mere your dress..." Izzie called out as Meredith stormed out of the hospital room in search of Derek wearing nothing but a white wedding dress.

Izzie, Cristina and Lexie were left inside the room and completely silent, they were each trying really hard not to laugh at the thought of Meredith Grey running down halls of Seattle Grace in a wedding dress.

"Hey" Alex called out as he walked into the room, "did I just see Meredith charging down the hallway in a wedding dress that looked like it's from a bad eighties movie" Alex asked as he pointed towards the door over his shoulder.

And that was all it took for the three of them to start laughing hysterically.

Alex stood there looking at them like they each had two heads; he then quietly walked out of the room with a smile on his face because he had missed the sound of Izzie's laugh.

"I knew that you'd eventually break her" Cristina stated to Izzie through fits of laughter.

"Hey I wasn't the one who told her to go running down hallways in a wedding dress" Izzie argued back while she also tried to calm herself down. But honestly she really didn't want to because it felt good, it had been a long time since Izzie had something to laugh about.

Unfortunately for them there fun was cut short at the sound of a beeping pager; Lexie and Cristina both instinctively reach for their own. "I have to go" Lexie announced sadly because right now she was having fun, and it was good to be thinking about something other than Diana Sloan.

"Ok, but hey if you see Meredith running around in the dress take pictures...I can put'em up on the website" Izzie called out as Lexie left the room

**************

"Dr. Torres you wanted to see me?" Lexie asked as she stood beside Callie in front of the surgical board.

"I have an amputation surgery later this afternoon, you interested?" Callie asked casually while still examining the board.

"Uh, um" Lexie was thrown off Callie had never really asked Lexie to be in on one of her surgeries. "Um I'm...absolutely" Lexie answered excitedly because any time she got inside the O.R. was a good day.

"Good the patient's in room 4124 make sure that his all set for the surgery" Callie ordered before walking away.

"Do you mind explaining to me why your sister's running around the hospital in a wedding dress...I thought it was bad luck for the groom to see the dress _before _the wedding?" Mark asked as he spoke over her shoulder, his hot breath was brushing against her neck and it sent a shiver down her spine.

Lexie turned to face him with a smile, "well lucky for Derek that's _not_ the one she'll be wearing when she walks down the aisle. By the way do you know which way she went because Izzie wants pictures?"

"Pictures are the least of Stevens' problems when it comes to this wedding…how about a bride that's MIA because the Chief had her committed" Mark commented with a smirk.

"Meredith's just freaking out about some stuff" Lexie remarked in defence of her sister as they began walking towards Lexie's new patient.

Mark scoffed at Lexie's argument, "_now _she's freaking out...with only a week left before the wedding she decides to freak out".

"Hey I'd like to see what you'll be like a week before your wedding" Lexie playfully argued back, but the look on Mark's face told her that it was the wrong kind of joke.

Both stood in awkward silence because neither one of them knew what to say to that.

Lexie wanted to reassure Mark that marriage was the last thing on her mind, especially when getting him to say _I love you_ was a challenge in itself. But she didn't want to give Mark the wrong idea; she didn't want him to think that she'd never want to marry him…if something like that ever did happen to cross his mind.

Mark on the other hand was shocked into silence but it wasn't because of what Lexie had said, it was because of his own reaction to it. Mark had never pictured himself as the marriage kind of guy; he had always believed that he'd spend the rest of his life moving around from one bed to another. Then Lexie came along, and all of the sudden marriage didn't seem like such a bad idea, it wasn't some daunting task that he'd try to avoid no matter what anymore. To Mark the thought of marriage now seemed like a reasonable idea, like something that he'd _want _to do somewhere down the line and that was the part that had shocked him.

"It's your fault mister" Lexie stammered as a way to get the topic off of Mark's hypothetical wedding and back to Derek and Meredith's actual wedding.

"How so" Mark asked with a frown because he really couldn't think of anything that he'd done to set Meredith's nerves off.

"You didn't explain to Derek where Meredith and I really were last night, so now she's convinced that if Derek finds out from somebody else that he'll accuse her of lying to him" Lexie explained in one big breath that she didn't even realise that she had brought up the subject of his mother.

The two of them went completely silent, neither one of them wanted to be the first one to broach the subject of Diana. But Lexie knew that if she didn't the awkwardness would only get worst.

Mark wasn't so opposed to the idea of forgetting that Diana was ever here and that Lexie had been a hairs breath away from that women. While some were convinced that Mark's reaction towards his parents may be a tad over dramatic he didn't really care what they thought. They didn't know the real Diana Sloan and more importantly they weren't the ones with the scare to prove it.

"Mark I'll keep saying it until you either believe me or I go blue in the face, I'm really, really sorry for lying to you last night. But more importantly I'm sorry for going behind your back" Lexie argued with a pleading look for him to believe her.

Mark couldn't help but smile at the sweet little puppy dog look on her face; he couldn't help but wonder how anyone could stay mad at her. Mark stepped up to Lexie and cupped her cheeks in his hands, "and I told you last night that I'm fine, that I understand why you didn't tell me...can we please let this go?"

"You're not fine Mark, because if you were fine than you wouldn't have been avoiding me or my pages this morning" Lexie argued with a stubborn look on her face, a face Mark knew well enough to know that Lexie was ready for a fight.

Mark had to stop himself from groaning out loud because it was infuriating, he couldn't understand for the life of him how Lexie knew him so well only after a couple of months of being together...especially when people like Derek still didn't get him after more than twenty years.

Mark knew that last night Lexie had mad a tough decision, she could have opted to hide the truth from him but she didn't. Lexie chose to be honest with him because it was too important for her to ly about it; it was at that moment that Mark told himself that he owed Lexie the same courtesy.

"I didn't answer your page because I wasn't in the hospital" Mark explained with a defeated look on his face, Mark very rarely caved to an intern's demand but she was more than just an intern to him and he knew that. Mark jumped in before Lexie could get a word out, "I went to see Diana…and I told her to get back on her broomstick and go back to New York because I want nothing to do with her. I also told her to stay away from Seattle, from this hospital, from my life and more importantly to the hell away from you".

"Mark…" Lexie began to protest but stoped after finally noticing the determined look on his face.

"Look Lexie you can keep holding on to this hope you have that your father's going to miraculously turn back into the father you once knew…me on the other hand I'm realistic about the way the world works" Mark yelled, he was picking a fight with her and he couldn't even understand why.

"What the hell does that even mean?" Lexie asked with a scowl on her face.

"It means that while you had a life time of happiness with your father all I've ever had is a life time of disappointment where Diana and Carter Sloan are concerned. I learnt early on in life that when things stop working you need to cut your losses and walk away" Mark explained with a hint of resentment and anger in his voice.

Lexie didn't understand why but she took Mark's comment as a personal hit, it was almost as though he was saying that he had no problem walking away from _them _if things began to get bumpy. "So is that what I have to look forward to then Mark? Are you going to toss me aside like a piece of garbage when things get tough between us…am I just some sort of stand in until you can find a better offer or maybe you're waiting for Dr. Torres to get past this girl phase she's got going on" Lexie fired back spitefully.

They were both getting worked up and angry at each other over something that was entirely Diana's fault. Mark let out a ferocious groan as he ran a hand through his hair. "See she's doing it again, not even half-an hour with her and we're biting each others heads off. She always does this; she always knows which buttons to push".

"Yeah well excuse me if I'm not overly thrilled when my boyfriend tells me that he has no problem walking away from this" Lexie argues sarcastically.

Mark took a deep breath to calm down because he was not going to let this get out of hand like the whole Reid thing. Mark stepped closer towards Lexie as he cupped her cheek and gave her a hard and long kiss.

Lexie hated it when he did that because the feeling of his lips against her skin always made her lose the ability to stay mad at him. But Lexie was determined to stick to it, "no, no" Lexie protested as she began swatting Mark on the arm to push him away but was failing miserably.

Mark's face softened the moment he saw the seriousness in Lexie's eyes, "Lexie" Mark called as he reached out to gab her hand and squeeze it. "I'm in l…crazy about you" Mark quickly corrected himself before he had the chance to blurt out _I love you_. "And what I said had nothing to do with you and everything to do with my parents, all I meant was that sometimes you have to accept the fact that your parents are never going to be the people you need them to be and walk away".

Lexie could feel her resolve slipping away; she knew that Mark's feelings towards his parents were his own and that none of it had been directed at her. She had no right to get mad at him for it because if any one had a right to be mad it was Mark. "Can we just agree to disagree and let this go, because I hate fighting with you and when I do it's like it's literally eating me up on the inside".

Mark let out a full blown smile as he kissed her again only this time it was soft and tentative, he was taking his time with it and that was something that Lexie wasn't use to.

Lexie wrapped her arms around Mark's neck as she deepened the kiss, after finally pulling back Mark rested his forehead against hers. "I have a surgery to prep for so I should really be going, and we shouldn't be doing this in the middle of a hallway" Mark stated unconvincingly as he kissed her again.

"I thought you were leaving" Lexie commented while kissing him at the same time.

Mark let out a groan of frustration because right now he'd rather be doing that then fixing some guys nose. Lexie couldn't help but let out a little giggle at the sound of Mark's annoyance.

"It's official, I'm dating the devil" Mark exclaimed kissing her again repeatedly with soft pecks on the lips.

"Well somebody has to keep you on your toes Dr. Sloan; how else am I supposed to lure you into leaving the hospital every night?" Lexie questioned as she kissed him below the ear.

Mark quickly took a step back with a frown on his face, "are you trying to get me fired women?"

Lexie laughed at the question because the idea of Mark Sloan being fired from this hospital was ridiculous. "Mark and you and I both know that you're not going anywhere" Lexie stated, only they both knew that she wasn't just referring to his work.

"Is that so?"

"Aha" Lexie answered and sauntered over to him, "you're the Chief's 4 million dollar man. We all know that Plastics brings in the most revenue in this hospital, and there's no way that the Chief is going to let that big fish get away" Lexie teased as she kissed him again.

"Yeah well the 4 million dollar guy actually has to get to work, he doesn't have luxury of mucking around like you interns" Mark stated with a determined look on his face to walk away, he quickly kissed her and turned on his heel.

They both began to walk in opposite directions when Lexie was suddenly stopped and was spun around on her heels. Mark gave her a deep and passionate kiss, almost as if it was the last kiss he'd ever give her. "Just so you know, we're definitely picking this up when we get home" Mark commented with a wicked grin and walked away. Although a nagging a thought in the back of his mind kept persisting for the rest of the day, they didn't really have a home to go to…it was either Meredith's house or the hotel, but nothing that was theirs.

*************

_**Keep the reviews coming guys and I hope you all continue to enjoy it. **_


	21. Chapter 21

_Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story so far and I'm thrilled that there are people who really like this story. _

**************

**Chapter 21**

"I think it was really sweet of Derek and Meredith to do that for Izzie" Lexie stated leaning against the couch so she could take off her shoes.

"I guess" Mark mumbled because he really didn't want to think too much about the wedding they had just been to.

Mark had always been a realistic kind of guy, and while everyone else inside the Church had seen the romantic side of the wedding Mark couldn't help but focus on the reality of it. Izzie Stevens was dying and that had been the _only _reason that Alex married her today, if it had been a normal day…a day without cancer Mark was sure that Alex wouldn't have jumped in so quickly.

"Mark" Lexie called out with a concerned look on her face because Mark had seemed to drift off into thin air. "Mark" Lexie exclaimed in a whisper as she lightly ran her fingers down the arm of his grey dress shirt.

Even through the material of his shirt Mark's body had no problem reacting to the touch of Lexie's fingers, and if that hadn't been enough to get his attention Lexie draped her arms around his neck before kissing him.

It had started out as being an innocent kiss on Lexie's part but she knew that she should have known better than that, because it didn't take Mark long before he deepened the kiss. It was a desperate and hungry kiss all at the same time and that scared Lexie because Mark had never acted like that before.

Finally pulling away from each other Mark stood there as he took in the look of Lexie standing in front on him. As he played with the ends of her lose hair Mark couldn't help but think to himself how he wasn't that guy….he wasn't Karev and he never would be. He knew why Alex had done what he did today; he wanted to give Izzie the one thing that she would have wanted more than anything before it was too late. Mark knew that he'd never be able to do that, if it was Lexie…if Lexie had been patient X Mark knew that he couldn't be the kind of guy that Alex had been for Izzie and that scared him.

"Hey what's going on with you?" Lexie asked with concern as she tightened her grip around Mark's neck.

But Lexie's grip was nothing compared to Mark's who was able to pull her arms away from him without resistance. "I'm not the good guy" Mark stated casually while undoing his tie and throwing it towards the hotel couch. They had agreed to go back to the hotel tonight so that Meredith and Derek could have the house to themselves.

"What?" Lexie asked in complete bafflement because she had no idea what Mark was going about.

"Just forget it, I'm gonna take a shower" Mark explained in a tone that even he barely recognised because it was devoid of all emotion.

It was in that second that Lexie finally figured out why Mark had been acting so weird ever since they left the Church.

On the car ride home Lexie had begun rambling on about how Izzie had done an amazing job planning the wedding, and how if she was really being honest she'd have to admit that Meredith would have looked completely out of place standing up on that alter. Lexie hadn't really been paying much attention to what she was saying after that, but she did remember telling Mark that when she got married there would definitely be a church.

Lexie could have hit herself over the head right then and there because Mark's freak out had been her entire fault. First there was the joke she had made about how Mark would be handling his own wedding and then the stupid comment about the Church…_stupid, stupid idiot_ Lexie was scolding herself. How could she not have seen it, Mark was freaking out because he had thought that she was dropping hints about _them _getting married.

By the time Lexie had finally been able to sort everything out in her own head she had already changed and crawled into bed, waiting for Mark to finish up and join her. Lexie knew that it was really important for her to set Mark straight, to make him understand that she had no desire to get married…well at least for the next couple of years. But that was just another item to add on the list of things that they weren't really talking about and this was a big one, it wasn't something that Lexie could just sweep under the rug.

Lexie had always wanted to settle down, get married and have a family and until Mark came along that dream had always seemed like a fantasy to her. She needed to know where they stood, Lexie was a patient women and she was willing to give Mark all the time in the world to say I love you, but if marriage was something that Mark had no intention of doing then…it was better that they went their separate ways now before things got even deeper, if that was even possible.

Lexie had managed to tie herself up in knots by the time Mark had finally walked out of the steaming bathroom that she couldn't stop fidgeting with her hands.

Mark casually walked over to the bed and crawled underneath the covers with his only intention being to go straight to bed. With his back turned to Lexie Mark mumbled a good night, gave her leg a tight squeeze and closed his eyes as he waited for sleep to take over him.

Lexie on the other hand wasn't going to let him get out of it that easily, she quickly stretched over Mark and switched the bed side lamp back on. "We need to talk" she stated in a serious voice.

Mark had to stop himself from groaning out loud, he should have known by know that he wasn't going to get away with it that easily.

"Mark" Lexie called as she jabbed him in the back to make sure that he wasn't falling a sleep.

Mark froze for about half a second before quickly rolling over on to his other side so that he was now facing Lexie…or at least Lexie's boobs because she was still sitting up. Mark reluctantly dragged himself up so that he was also sitting against the bed head and looked at Lexie, "ok you want to talk so talk".

"Don't do that Mark, don't go getting all defensive on me when I'm trying to have a serious conversation with you" Lexie exclaimed.

"Lexie what do you want from me" Mark practically begged, hoping that she'd see the exhaustion in his eyes and just drop it for now.

"I want you to understand that I don't want to get married…" Lexie started to say but stopped the minute she saw the indignant look on his face.

The second Lexie had said those words Mark had to admit it felt like someone had punched him the gut, after all what guy likes hearing that his girlfriend doesn't think his marriage material.

Mark quickly shook it off deciding that if that was the way Lexie felt then that was fine with him, it at least saved him the humiliation of having his proposal shot down…if he ever did decide to do it that was.

Mark tried really hard to pretend that it wasn't a big deal, that he had no desire to get married, to have kids and do the whole growing old together crap with Lexie but it was a lie…a big fat dirty rotten lie.

"Ok no marriage plans" Mark stated casually as he leant over to peck her on the cheek before leaning over to switch off the light.

"Wait a minute" Lexie called out as she pulled on Mark's arm to stop him from going back to sleep, "if you let me finish then you'd have heard me say that I have no desire to get married _right now_. But some day…maybe three, four years down line it's definitely something I want. I just don't want you to think that my comment earlier before about the Church and what I said last week about you and weddings was my subtle attempt at hinting for you to propose, because it wasn't" Lexie explained firmly.

Mark had to take a second to actually wrap his brain around what Lexie had said, because to him it had all come out in a jumble of sentences that made no sense to him. "So basically what you're telling me is that you _do _want to get married but not for another three or four _years_" Mark slowly repeated out loud just to make sure head understood the gist of it.

Lexie silently nodded her head with a smile on her face because at the time she had said it she wasn't sure if it had come out quite clearly.

Mark was really starting to grow uncomfortable with the conversation; first she told him she loved him and know she was telling him that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. And try as hard as he might Mark just couldn't understand why Lexie would want to be with _him _for the next fifty or sixty years of her life. "Ah, should we be having this conversation?" Mark asked.

"No. Probably not" Lexie stated as her cheeks began to burn red with embarrassment, without giving Mark a chance to answer Lexie quickly slid down the bed and quickly went to sleep with her back turned to Mark.

Mark quietly turned the light off and also tried to go to sleep, but sleep seemed to elude him as his brain worked double time. Mark kept going over everything, wondering how the hell they had gone from attending a nice wedding to being in the same bed yet so far apart.

Some how Mark had gone from wondering whether he'd have the strength to do what Alex was doing to telling Lexie that they had no business talking about marriage.

Mark sighed in defeat as he tried to will himself to sleep, but it was difficult because he had never felt this far apart from Lexie. Eventually he did manage to fall asleep, only this time was different because both he and Lexie had their backs turned to one another.

*************

Mark hadn't known what on earth possessed him to do it, but he found himself standing outside of Izzie's hospital room as he watched her and Alex through the glass window.

Izzie was lying in her bed wearing a scarf around her head to hide the fact that she shaved off all her hair, and her skin was so white that she looked like a ghost. It finally really hit Mark that Izzie Stephens was sick, really sick.

Up until this second they could all keep deluding themselves, they could keep pretending like it wasn't really happening because Izzie _didn't look sick_…but now she did and with it they all had to say goodbye to their delusions.

Alex had been handing Izzie a glass of water when he spotted Mark standing outside the room, he quickly gave Izzie a kiss on the cheek before going over to Mark.

They both stood side by side with theirs arms crossed in complete silence, neither one of them really wanted to be the first one to talk because Alex needed this. He just needed a single second to himself where he didn't have to talk to anyone, or have anyone ask him how he was doing or even hear the c word mentioned. With Sloan he could forget for just a split second that he had a dying wife.

Mark was fixed on Izzie as the same nagging thought came back to the forefront of his mind, he couldn't do it…he wasn't good the guy in all of this, Alex was.

Alex finally managed to tear his eyes away from Izzie and looked over at Mark; Alex reasoned then and there that Mark was his answer. Alex had been struggling all morning with what to do about the new tumour Derek had found in Izzie, Derek had suggested a radical surgery but it had consequences…consequences that Alex wasn't sure he could deal with and that was where Mark came in.

Mark and he weren't so different from one another, they had both been practically the same in nature until Izzie and Lexie had come along. They had changed because of these two remarkable women who had decided to take a chance on them, so if anybody could understand Alex it would be Mark Sloan.

"Derek found another tumour" Alex announced as he turned his head back towards Izzie.

Mark whipped his head in Alex's direction then back to Izzie, he was trying really hard to keep the pity look off his face because that was last thing Alex or Izzie needed.

Alex gently tapped Mark on the side of his arm and nudged his head towards the nurses' station hoping that Mark would follow him so that Izzie wouldn't over hear them.

Mark stood there silently waiting for Alex to get out what ever he needed to say, Mark wasn't usually known for his patience when it came to residents and interns but he was willing to make an exception in certain circumstances.

Alex struggled to find the words; he didn't know what the hell he was hoping to gain from Sloan…_wrong _he told himself, he knew exactly what he wanted from Mark. He wanted Mark to be the one to make the decision for him, he wanted Mark to do what he did best and tell Karev what it was that he had to do to keep the patient alive without screwing up.

"I need you to not talk medicine to me ok. Talk to me like I'm your friend. Like I'm the guy whose cereal you eat in the morning, and tell me what to do" Alex said with a pleading look on his face, a face he would never have dared to show to anyone let alone Mark Sloan before today.

"Karev" Mark whispered in protest because he really didn't feel comfortable having this conversation.

"Shepherd...he wants to cut the tumour out, he wants to operate on her. Only if he does there's a good chance that if Izz wakes up on the other side of that surgery she may not ever remember who the hell I am because Shepherd had to slice into her temporal lobe" Alex explained while finally letting out some of the bitterness and anger he had been holding on inside of him.

Mark felt like someone had just knocked the wind out of him because he was the last person he had expected Karev to turn to for advice. Mark couldn't help but wonder why the hell Alex was coming to him for advice when there were so many better candidates in this hospital, Mark would have been the last person that Mark would have turned to for this sort of advice.

"Karev, I can't tell you what to do" Mark explained with a sympathetic look on his face, he wished he could do something to make it all go away but he couldn't…the only person who had that power was Derek. And now Alex was standing there in front of Mark, asking him to decide whether or not Derek should have the power.

"What if it was Lexie? What would you do if you had to choose between spending a few more months with Lexie knowing she was going to die. Watching her…watching her sick. Or spending the rest of your life with someone who looked like Lexie, but wasn't her anymore?" Alex asked with a look on his face that told Mark he was on the verge of a complete break down.

Mark didn't know what to say, he didn't know how to answer Alex because if it was him he wasn't even sure if he'd be here. All Mark could do was stand there and look at Alex with a sad look on his face.

"She is the _one _good thing that happened to me. The one good thing and I thought that if anyone could understand that it would be you. So I need to know what to do. I need you to tell me, what if it was Lexie".

Mark felt so sick to his stomach that he had to stop himself from throwing up right there in front of Alex; he hated even _thinking _about the idea of Lexie being so sick that she could die. But Alex was right; he probably was the only one who could understand where Alex was coming from…what it really meant to him for Izzie to be sick.

For people like Derek it was harder to understand, when you have had the constant love and support of a family your whole life you can't ever really understand what it means to face something like this.

For Alex…for Mark, just to have found one good thing in your miserably life is a miracle in itself. But when that one good thing is being threatened by something that you can't even fight for her it's completely different.

Alex stood there waiting for Mark's answer but Mark didn't know what to tell him, right now Karev needed the truth. "I'm the wrong person you should be talking to abut this Kar…Alex, you should be talking to Derek or the Chief about this not me. I'm the wrong person…"

"No you're not" Alex cut in, "you're exactly who I should be talking to because you and I are the same, we were both these dark and lost people until Izz and Lexie came along. They changed us; they decided to take a chance on two pathetic losers even though they had every reason not to. So I'm talking exactly to the person I should be" Alex insisted, that pleading look still hadn't left his face.

Mark let out a defeated sigh as he leant against the desk and scrubbed his face with his hands. "We're not the same Karev…you and I are completely different people, you're the better man" Mark explained as he looked dead a head, he couldn't bear to look at Alex for the embarrassment of it all.

"I'm a realistic guy Karev, I deal with the here and now…and in reality I couldn't do what you're doing. I wouldn't have it in me to stand aside and watch the women I love die, knowing that there was nothing I could do for here despite the fact that I'm a surgeon. It would kill me, so I'd take the cowards way out…I'd walk away, I'd walk away from her despite knowing the fact that I'd be leaving her to fight this all alone because it would be easier on me" Mark managed to say, how though was beyond his comprehension.

He slowly turned to Alex and he could see a look in his eye only Mark couldn't pin point it exactly. He wasn't sure whether Alex was looking at him with contempt or with pity. Only it turned out that Mark was wrong on both accounts, "that's bullshit and you know it" Alex exclaimed in anger. "You couldn't walk away from Lexie…you're just too scared to admit the fact that she's the one good thing in your life because it makes it real" Alex argued before pausing. "Making it real means that if anything was to ever happen to her…it would kill you, it would literally eat up everything that's inside of you. But you wouldn't walk away from Lexie…you'd never walk away from her, not now, not ever" Alex exclaimed before he turned on his heel and walked away.

"Alex" Mark called out to him; he paused for a second to take in Alex's dishevelled and exhausted appearance, "I'd ask her to have the surgery. I'd ask her to do it for me…" Mark struggled to get the next part out. "Because even if she wasn't the same Lexie that I once knew, It would be just that much more bearable knowing that she was still here…that she was still breathing the same air as me and that she wasn't just some memory I had to conjure up to remember what it felt like to be truly happy".

Alex couldn't help but smile, Mark had just told him exactly what he had needed to hear. Because despite all the tossing and turning on the decision Alex knew that Mark was right, Alex knew that in the back of his mind he had already made his decision.

"Thanks" seemed to be the only words that Alex could muster; he really didn't want to fall apart and look all weak and pathetic right then and there in front of Mark.

After watching Alex walk back into Izzie's room Mark thought about what Alex had said for about a split second before he bolted down the hallway in search of Lexie.

*************

Lexie had been heading towards the surgical board when she felt herself being dragged inside an on-call room. Once inside she was surprised to find herself pinned up against the door, "Mark" Lexie exclaimed in relief and surprise.

"Little Grey" Mark whispered as he pressed his body against Lexie even more. He bent his head forward and kissed her passionately, sweeping his tongue through her mouth.

"Mark" Lexie whispered breathlessly after she pulled back from a lack of air, she really didn't understand this man at all. Last night he had barely spoken to her, this morning he was avoiding her and now he had dragged her into an on-call room so he could maul her.

"Mark what the hell has gotten into you, one minute you're barely speaking the next I'm being pinned against a door. You're giving me whiplash with all this jerking around" Lexie explained as she tried to wriggle out from underneath him.

"I can't walk away from you" Mark explained as he moved one hand to caress the side of her face.

"Excuse me?" Lexie asked with a frown.

"No matter what little…Lexie, no matter what happens to you, no matter how sick you ever get I'm never walking away. I couldn't even if I wanted to because you're the one good thing in my life, you put be back together and now you're the one whose keeping my head above water…"

"Are you drunk?" Lexie cut in because Mark was rambling like a crazy person.

Mark had to laugh at that, he leant forward and gave Lexie a soft kiss on the lips. Mark pulled away only slightly so that their heads were only inches apart, "you know for a woman you really do know how to kill the mood when the man you love is trying to tell you that he loves you too".

Lexie felt her heart skip a beat at hearing Mark says those words, those three words that after last night she was really beginning to believe she would never hear.

Just as she was about to say something Mark quickly placed his finger against her lips to stop Lexie from talking, "you had your go…now it's my turn".

Mark took a deep breath and thought about what he wanted to say, Mark wasn't the mushy kind of guy and while he knew he was ready to tell Lexie that he loved her he wasn't ready to go that deep into his feelings.

"Just say it" Lexie ordered, and while Mark should have been mad at her he couldn't help but smile because she knew him. Lexie knew that Mark wasn't the gushing kind of guy and that saying those three words was all she really needed from him. It only strengthened his belief that they belonged together.

"Lexie Grey" Mark stated, but then paused for affect…or just to torture her, either way it was fun for him to watch Lexie squirm for a second. "I love you".

Lexie let out a full blown smile as she draped her arms around Mark's neck and pulled him closer towards her, with their lips only inches apart Lexie looked Mark right in the eyes. "Mark Sloan" Lexie mimicked "I love you too" she declared before pulling him in for hungry and passionate kiss.

*************

_**Keep the reviews coming guys and I hope you all continue to enjoy it. **_


	22. Chapter 22

_**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story so far and I'm thrilled that there are people who really like this story. **_

**************

**Chapter 22**

Today had been a good day Lexie was telling herself as she made her way down the corridors of Seattle Grace; _today had been a good day_.

Besides the crappy morning start and the poor John Doe who had been hit by a bus Lexie couldn't have been more thrilled with the way the day had turned out. Mark had told her he loved her, Mark Sloan had voluntarily said those three words. Lexie couldn't help but break out into a huge cheesy grin every time she thought about it, in Lexie's eyes it was the best present she could have ever asked for.

Lexie could hear the warning bells going off in her own head; if recent experiences had taught her anything it was that good things don't last forever no matter how much you might want them to. But Lexie decided not to get a head of herself and instead she was just going to enjoy the moment, _yep today had been a good day._

**************

Today had definitely _not _bee a good day…in fact today had been the worse day for everybody on the surgical floor. Izzie had crashed right in front of Alex and Cristina, and Meredith had discovered that John Doe…the man who had run in front of a bus to save a complete stranger had been George.

When Lexie had first heard about George there was a pit of guilt that had begun eating away at her the moment Meredith had told her. She had tried to remember the last conversation she had had with George that wasn't about medicine…she came up with nothing.

Izzie had been the last straw for Lexie, she couldn't take it anymore and she just really needed to get the hell out of the hospital, because for Lexie the hospital had never been more claustrophobic than today.

All Lexie wanted to do was find Mark and go home, it had been a good day turned bad and there wasn't anything any of them could have done to stop it.

Mark and Lexie barely said a word to each other the car ride home, neither of them had the energy or the strength to speak.

The moment they had entered the car Lexie grabbed a hold of Mark's free hand and held on to tightly as she brushed her thumb across his knuckles. She needed to feel something other than pain and she knew that there was no one else she wanted or needed then Mark.

The whole ride home Mark had this irrational fear that what had happened to Izzie had been his fault, he knew it was absurd…he knew that he hadn't forced Izzie to have the surgery. But he was the one who convinced Alex to push for it, so that irrational part in the back of Mark's mind couldn't help but wonder if that made him responsible.

**************

Mark solemnly led Lexie through the house while still holding her hand tightly, after the day they had had he was almost afraid that if he did she'd slip away from him forever.

They had both agreed that neither of them felt like spending the night in a cold, sterile hotel room so they had agreed on going back to Meredith's house. Meredith had already told them she wouldn't be going home tonight; she and Cristina were going to take turns sitting with George and Izzie all night so the house would be all theirs. When Mark had asked Derek if he'd bee heading home for the night he had given Mark a casual shrug, so as far the two of them were concerned it was just them in a big old empty house.

"Are you hungry?" Lexie asked as she rummaged through the kitchen in search of something at least half edible.

Mark shrugged with an exhausted look on his face as he threw a file on to the dinning table.

"I'll order some Chinese" Lexie resolved as she made her way towards the living room in search of the phone.

Mark didn't let Lexie get far before he cut her off, they both stood in complete silence as they looked at each other. "Mark" Lexie whispered because she didn't want to disturb the peace that had taken over the house; it was a nice change to the hospital for her.

Mark quickly and swiftly tore a kiss from Lexie as he unconsciously led her towards the kitchen bench, with his body covering hers Lexie was practically pinned against the bench and she really didn't mind it. Mark's hands began grabbing at anything and everything that was a part of or on Lexie's body while trailing kisses along her jaw line and throat.

Mark knew that it probably wasn't the most appropriate thing to be having sex with his girlfriend in the middle of her sister's kitchen but Mark didn't really care right now. All he cared about was this, about feeling alive and the shiver that shot down his spine every time he touched Lexie's bare skin. He needed to remind himself what it felt like to have Lexie underneath him, not that he could ever forget….but after today, after seeing Stevens and O'Malley almost die Mark swore to himself that he'd stop wasting time, because life's too short.

Lexie could feel her heart beating faster every time he kissed her so fiercely and so passionately that it literally took her breath away. As they pulled away from the lack of oxygen Lexie wrapped her arms around Mark's neck, "Mark" Lexie whispered hoarsely. But before she could get another word out Mark took a step back, he quickly moved his hands down to Lexie's hips and lifted her up on to the kitchen bench, Mark moved forward so that he was now standing in between her legs.

Mark smiled at her, only this time it was a full blown smile, a seductive smile that could have melted butter and Lexie's breath caught in her throat. "Mark we can't do this" Lexie protested timidly, but even she didn't buy it with the way it came out…especially since sex on a kitchen bench would definitely be a first for her.

With a devilish grin on his face Mark slowly traced his finger along Lexie's jaw line and throat till he reached the edge of her collarbone. "Why not" Mark asked as he pretended to not understand what the big deal was.

"Uhh because first off people eat in here" Lexie explained while Mark swapped his finger for his lips and began trailing kisses along her collarbone. Lexie closed her eyes for a second so she could try and control herself, "and another thing…Derek could walk through the door any second and I doubt coming home to you and me having sex in the kitchen is something he really needs after the day he's had…after the day we've all had" Lexie protested.

Mark leant his forehead against Lexie's shoulder and let out a sigh of frustration because he knew that she was right, he was growing…evolving, and jumping straight to the sex part was something that the old Mark would have done. But the new Mark, the Mark he was trying desperately to be wouldn't use sex as a way of avoiding the real issue.

"Okay you win" Mark declared as he jumped up onto the bench as well so that he was now sitting beside her.

"Nobody wins Mark…nobody won today" Lexie whispered, her entire body shivered as the image of George lying in his hospital bed sprung to mind.

Without even hesitating Mark wrapped his arm around Lexie and brought her in towards him. Lexie immediately buried her head in the nook of his neck as her eyes began to well up. "I should have known it was him, I looked him straight in the eyes and I couldn't tell. I lived with him for months and I couldn't tell…" Lexie contended as the tears began to fall and the guilt at away at her.

Mark knew that he couldn't say anything that would take the pain away, so instead he began stroking her hair as he waited for her to let it all out.

Sometimes it still amazed Mark how much this woman sitting next to him had changed him so much, Lexie of course would always argue with that statement. She'd say that Mark had changed because of Mark, and that she had nothing to do with it.

But Mark knew better than that, Mark knew that for what ever unimaginable reason Lexie had decided to take a chance on him. And the very fact that she was willing to do that despite all the warnings she had been given was all the incentive he needed to change his man whore ways…after all it was worth it.

Lexie slowly pulled away from Mark, her cheeks were slightly red from embarrassment because she knew how much Mark hated having to deal with crying women. "Sorry" Lexie mumbled while tucking her hair behind her ears, "I know that I shouldn't let my emotions get the best of me…."

"Hey its part of the reason why I fell in love with you" Mark cut in with a mischievous smile on his face.

Lexie couldn't help but smile at the sound of those words coming out of his mouth, he loved her and as far as Lex was concerned there wasn't a better feeling then that on this entire planet.

Still Lexie's smile didn't last long as her thoughts wondered back to Izzie and George. She quickly slid off the bench and began pacing up and down the kitchen, "it's wrong…I shouldn't be feeling happy, I have no right to feel happy when two people that I have come to consider close friends nearly died toady" Lexie was muttering to herself out loud, she wasn't really expecting Mark to answer.

"Lex…" Mark was about to protest but she quickly cut him off with a frown on her face.

"If you really think about it what's the point of all of this?" Lexie asked as she continued pacing the kitchen while she hugged herself. "Why do we even bother _trying _to be happy in a world that's such a horrible place? I mean Izzie has cancer; George got hit by a bus, and my mother…my mother died of the freakin' hiccups. So tell me why do we even bother trying to be happy when life is that screwed up that good people…people who have done nothing but try to help others their entire lives are taken away from the people that love them?" Lexie asked as she threw her hands up in the air. She could feel all the anger, all the guilt, and all the hurt finally spilling out of her and she had no way of controlling it.

Mark quickly jumped off the bench and engulfed Lexie in a bear hug that rendered her still; she couldn't free herself from Mark's grip even if she had bothered to try. "Lexie I can't tell you want you want to hear…I can't tell you that Stevens and O'Malley are going to get through this because I don't know if they are, I'm not God and that's the same reason I can't tell you why your mom died of the hiccups. But what I _can _tell you is that it's worth it….even if it's only for a few hours, days, months or years it's all worth it. There might be a few scars at the end of it all but knowing that you're not gonna die from it…that's the point" Mark argued as he placed gentle soothing kisses along the top of her head.

Lexie buried her head into Mark's chest as she tightened her grip around his waist; she never wanted to lose him because she wasn't sure that she'd be able to survive it if she did. "Swear to me that no matter what you'll never try to be the hero and jump in front of a bus" Lexie mumbled into his chest.

Mark frowned as he looked down to the top of Lexie's head, "Lex…"

Lexie began to shake her head. "Promise me Mark, promise me that no matter what you'll never put yourself in that kind of danger…even if it's to try and save me" Lexie asked as she looked up at him with a pleading look on her face.

Mark shook his head; this conversation had just taken a very morbid turn as far as he was concerned. Besides he could never make that kind of promise, the only promise he could ever make is that he _would _do anything to save Lexie…even if it meant risking his own life.

"You know I can't do that" Mark whispered softly, he was terrified that he'd be tempting fate if he answered any louder then that, after all this was Mark Sloan and the universe had a sick and twisted idea of payback where he was concerned.

"Why not" Lexie questioned with an outraged look on her face as she pushed Mark away from her, the instant he was gone her body shivered at the loss of contact with Mark's body. The idea of never having that feeling again, of never being able to wrap her arms around him again and to smell him…Lexie quickly closed her eyes tightly and shook her head to try and control her thoughts.

"Why are we even having this morbid conversation to begin with?" Mark asked with gritted teeth.

"Because I need to know that no matter what you are always going to be safe Mark, that you're always going be alive and well…no matter _what_" Lexie exclaimed.

"Ok can we just stop, can we stop talking like somebody's actually dying here" Mark asked, his entire body was as stiff as a board because of the tension running through him.

"Well unless you've found the cure to cancer for Izzie and a way to save George in the last hour or so then there is someone dying…two of them actually" Lexie sarcastically answered Mark.

That had been the last straw as far as Mark was concerned, he had no desire to rehash everything that had happened to day and he sure as hell wasn't going to discuss the idea of Lexie dying.

Mark quickly turned on his heel and stormed off in huff, Lexie let out a defeated sigh as she slid into a chair at the dining table just as Derek walked through the door.

"Mind explaining to me why Mark practically bulldozed me out of the way before storming out of the house" Derek asked as he slipped his jacket off and threw it over a chair.

Lexie quietly shook her head, "are you hungry….I could order some Chinese if you're hungry?" Lexie asked in an attempt to change the subject.

Derek firmly shook his head, "nah I'm going to head straight to bed so I can get an early start at the hospital in the morning" he explained.

Lexie nodded her head as she finally noticed the dark circles around his eyes, she knew that Derek had been working himself into the ground to try and save Izzie…but it hadn't physically taken its toll on him until now.

"Derek we all know how hard you've been working to save Izzie…and well now with George, it's just…you have to take care of you as well. You're not going to be any use to either of them passed out on an O.R. floor".

Derek let out an exhausted smile, "thanks Lexie but really I'm ok". Derek quickly drank a glass of water and began heading out of the room, he suddenly stopped and turned to Lexie. "Whatever he said or did he didn't meant it…you know that right? Because whether his willing to admit it or not he loves you and I can honestly say for the first time in the history I've known Mark that he'd die before he ever intentionally hurt you".

"That's the problem" Lexie mumbled under her breath.

"Excuse me?" Derek asked with a frown on his face.

"Nothing" Lexie casually shook her head, "just forget that I even said anything".

Derek shrugged his shoulders, he really didn't have the energy to be playing marriage counselor right now. "Look just remember that this is all new for Mark, you weren't a part of the plan".

Lexie furrowed her brow in Derek's direction but the neurosurgeon had already left the room by the time Lexie was able to ask him what he meant by that.

She spotted the file that Mark had brought home with him and began flicking through the file.

It was George's file, a file that was filled with endless paper work of test results. Lexie had to try hard to stop the tears from falling because as she flipped through the results she could see that George would need more than a miracle to survive this.

Lexie quickly got up from her chair and headed towards the front door, she wasn't going to wast time having petty arguments with the man she loved.

*************

Lexie was in such a hurry to find Mark that she completely missed him and went running down the stairs of the front porch, but she stoped in her tracks after hearing her name being called out.

She quickly turned to see Mark sitting forward on the wooden bench, resting his arms on his knees he looked at Lexie with the most dejected look on his face. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Mark asked while trying to keep the tone of anger at bay.

"Looking for you" Lexie explained sheepishly as she made it half way up the stairs and leant against the railing, while trying to keep a bit of distance.

"Well you found me" Mark answered sarcastically.

"Mark…" Lexie called out but stoped because she really didn't know what to say.

"I don't want to fight with you Lexie…not tonight" Mark replied while rubbing his eyes, he was that exhausted that his eyeballs were beginning to hurt.

"Neither do I", Lexie quickly jumped in, "it's just that when something like this happens…when two people you know really well nearly die it makes you think about things".

"Like what?" Mark asked curiously as held his head in his hands.

"Like you" Lexie whispered as she inched closer towards Mark. "Like the fact that you weren't a part of the plan…that I was never supposed to meet you let alone fall in love with you but I did anyway and now it terrifies me".

"Great I scare my own girlfriend" Mark droned as he rolled his eyes.

"But in a good way" Lexie jumped in, Mark gave her a _please explain _look. Taking a deep breath Lexie quickly sat down on the bench and curled her legs up underneath her, but she still kept a bit of distance between her and Mark.

"I had my whole life planned out. Where I'd go to med school, where I'd complete my residency and what specialty I wanted to be in…then my mom died. So I had to make a new plan, a plan that was built around my dad and around Seattle Grace…but neither of those two plans consisted of finding this amazingly sweet, funny and sexy guy that I'd fall in love with…"

"Sorry I ruined the plan" Marked retorted, he really wasn't sure where she was going with this but something told him he needed to take the defensive stance.

Lexie smirked at Mark, "that's just the thing you didn't ruin the plan, you made it better…so, so much better. Then the thing with Izzie and George happened and I realised that" Lexie paused so she could try and stop herself from crying. "You haven't just become a part of the plan…you _are _the plan Mark. Everything I do, every decision I make involves you, and if I was to lose you...I couldn't even think of moving on let alone making a new plan" Lexie explained.

She subtly slid closer to Mark and grasped his hand, "that's why I need you to promise me that you're not going anywhere…that you're not going to do something stupid like jump in front of a bus to try and save me".

Mark dropped Lexie's hand and quickly jumped off the chair, "and what you think that I'd be able to handle losing you?" Mark asked but scoffed at his own question. "Of course you do because I'm Mark Sloan…man whore extraordinaire, why would I get all cut up if some woman I happen to be sleeping with dies…" Mark began to rant on defensively.

"_Mark!"_ Lexie exclaimed with a bitter look, "That's not what I meant, you know that".

"Do I Lexie, because apparently while I'm walking around telling you that I love you it turns out that you've got different ideas about how serious I really am" Mark retorted.

"Why the hell are you getting so defensive" Lexie snapped as she jumped to her feet.

Just as Mark was about to answer he was cut off by Derek, "will you two shut the hell up, some of us have to be at the hospital it less than five hours" Derek snapped from the door way. "I can hear you all the way from upstairs".

"Sorry" Lexie and Mark both mumbled while trying to avoid eye contact not only Derek but also with each other.

Derek rolled his eyes as he walked back into the house while slamming the door behind him.

"You weren't a part of the plan either" Mark mumbled while looking into thin air. "You were forbidden fruit, I had no business going anywhere near you, but then you stormed into my hotel room begging me to teach you…that morning I swore to myself that it was only going to happen that one time…as fantastic as it was it could never happen again because I promised Derek…"

"Mark" Lexie whispered as she gently placed her hand against his forearm, hoping that he'd turn and look at her.

Mark looked down into her eyes and decided that right then and there he need to be honest with her, he needed to tell her what was really going on in his head…no more games.

"But I couldn't get you out of my head; I even thought sleeping with Callie would make everything better…" Mark started to say but the pained look on Lexie's face made him stop. He quickly cupped her face into his hands and gently kissed her on the forehead, "Lexie nothing happened with Torres, I mean we tried but the minute that I kissed her I couldn't do it…it just felt all wrong, that's when I knew that you ruined me…that I'd never be able to be with another woman without think about you and that didn't scare me. The idea of being with _one _woman for the rest of my life didn't scare me and I had never felt that way before, not even with Addison".

"Mark you don't have to do this" Lexie explained because she knew how much he hated talking about feelings.

"Yes I do" Mark demanded as he walked away and sat back down on the bench, "because apparently you don't seem to understand that I can't lose you either…this morning Alex came to me asking me if I'd want you to have the surgery if it was you. And just the thought of each morning potentially being the last morning I'd get to spend with you made me sick to my stomach".

Mark looked up at Lexie with the softest eyes that Lexie had ever seen from Mark, they were filled with so much fear and so much love that it took her breath away.

"You keep me breathing Lexie, you keep my head above water and if I lost you I'd sink straight to the bottom. So could we _please _just stop talking about you dying or me dying…I don't know about you but I plan on sticking around for the next forty years or more" Mark explained with a smirk.

"The next forty huh" Lexie repeated with a mischievous smile as she walked over and climbed up onto Mark's lap. "You sure that you can put up with me for that long" Lexie asked while running her hands through the back of Mark's hair.

"Well I'm going to need someone to keep me in line, and I can't think of anybody else that I'd want to be taking orders from" Mark joked.

Lexie scoffed at that, "yeah I can just see how that's going to go down…the big, bad Mark Sloan being pushed around by me for the rest of his life…"

"See doesn't sound too bad, besides I'm pretty easy going" Mark said, he was trying to add some humour into it so that Lexie wouldn't think that he was proposing. But there was a very large part of him that was serious about the spending the next forty years of his life with her and that didn't make him want to run.

Lexie leant forward and gave Mark a deep and loving kiss, "easy going are the last words I'd use to describe you. But you're right, it doesn't sound too bad…in fact the idea of waking up to you every morning sounds rather appealing".

Mark finally let out a breath that he hadn't even realised he had been holding in. Mark was so caught up in the moment as he ran his hand up and down Lexie's back that he didn't even think as the words came out of his mouth, "move in with me".

Lexie froze with an awkward smile, "you're kidding me right?"

"No" Mark answered seriously, "I'm serious Lexie…I haven't been more serious about anything in my entire life".

"Mark don't you think it's a little bit soon for us to be talking about moving in together?"

Mark frowned at Lexie's question, "why? We both know that we love each other; we both know that there's never going to be anyone else for either of us, so why wait? If Stevens and O'Malley taught me anything it's that life is too short, and I don't want to waste time. I want to wake up every morning lying next to you in our bed, and in our home knowing that you're not going anywhere".

Lexie couldn't explain it; she knew that it was silly to be jumping into this head first. But Lexie learnt early on that her and Mark weren't exactly the most traditional couple. "Are you sure that's what you really want?" Lexie asked as she tried to hold back all the giddiness she was feeling.

"Lexie you make me want things that I never thought I'd want before, and this is definitely one of those things" Mark answered flatly before giving Lexie a deep and powerful kiss that literally took her breath away.

Lexie pulled away from Mark with a gleaming look in her eyes, "well if I agree to this then you have to agree to _one _really important condition" Lexie explained as she paused for effect.

"What's that?" Mark asked hesitantly, he didn't want to get excited only to end up being disappointed.

Lexie leant forward to brush her lips against his ear, "I get the left side of bed".

Mark broke out into a wide cheesy grin, "little Grey you can have the whole bed if you want" he answered before pushing his lips against Lexie's and sweeping his tongue in her mouth. Mark couldn't explain it, but for the first time in quite awhile he finally felt like he had his whole life ahead of him and he loved every minute of it.

*************

_**Keep the reviews coming guys and I hope you all continue to enjoy it. **_


	23. Chapter 23

_**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story so far and I'm thrilled that there are people who really like this story. **_

**************

**Chapter 23**

"Ok so that option's out" Derek answered with a defeated tone as he threw another scrunched up piece of paper in the bin. The bind which was now practically overflowing with scrunched up balls of paper that had ideas scribbled all over them.

They had been at it since 4am and none of them were any closer to figuring this out, they kept braining storming ideas but every idea they had turned out to be a dead end because of all the complications.

"What if were to…" Owen began to say but was quickly cut off by Mark.

"Don't even bother" Mark panned; they could see the anger oozing out of him.

"_Mark_" Derek called out with a threatening tone; Derek had known him long enough to know when his anger was getting the better of him.

"Don't you Mark me Shepherd" Mark exclaimed as he got up from his seat and began pacing the room like a caged animal. "We've been at this all morning and we've still come got nothing, maybe it's time that we just accept the fact that…"

"That what" Derek interrupted with an annoyed look.

"That we're _not _god Derek, because if we were we would have found a way to cure the cancer that's eating away at Steven's brain and O'Malley wouldn't be hanging on by a thread. But they are Derek, they're dying and we can't do anything about it because we're _not God_" Mark was yelling. He hated hearing himself say all of that but he was trying to keep some sense of objectivity.

"You want us to just give up?" Derek asked as he leant back into his chair, "you want us to go to Karev and tell him what exactly…'gee Karev we're sorry but your going to have to watch your wife die because saving her life is just too hard for us. Or maybe you want to be the one telling Mrs. O'Malley that not only did she loose her husband inside the walls of this hospital but now also her son…"

"Alright, alright" Mark exclaimed as he kicked the nearest chair towards the door, barely missing Lexie.

"So now we're taking it out on the furniture?" Lexie questioned with a raised eyebrow, none of them noticed that her hands were hidden behind her back.

"Shut up" Mark barked as he walked back around the table and took his seat.

"Ignore him" Derek instructed Lexie as he scrubbed his face with his hands, he could feel a headache coming on.

"You three look like you're having a bad morning" Lexie noted.

Derek couldn't help but scoff at that, "bad morning, try a bad _week_".

"Sorry" Mark grunted at Lexie as a form of apology, he knew he had no right to be taking this out on her.

Lexie casually shrugged her shoulders, "its ok you guys are exhausted". She stoped to look at the clock on the wall, "and you have been going at it for a while now…you all just need to calm down and take break. Maybe then you'll able to get a better perspective".

Derek let out an exhausted smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, "that sounds like a nice idea little Grey but I'm afraid we don't have time…"

"Well then at least have some lunch" Lexie jumped in finally revealing her hands which were holding two plastic bags. "I figured you three would be so focused that you'd forget to eat so I brought you some food…real food, not cafeteria food" Lexie explained as she put the bags on the table and began to hand out the contents to each of them.

Mark had been so distracted this morning that he hadn't even had a chance to eat breakfast, but he hadn't realised how hungry he was until the smell of the food wafted up his nose. "God I love you" Mark proclaimed as he took a bit of his burger.

Lexie couldn't help but laugh as she took a seat on the opposite side of the table, "if I had known bringing you food would have gotten you to say it faster then I would have done this sooner".

Mark gave her a sarcastic smile while chewing his food.

Derek couldn't help but let out a slight laugh at watching the tow of them interact together.

Owen on the other hand was more focused on _what _Mark was eating exactly, "as a doctor I hope you do know that's literally a heart attacking you're ingesting right there".

Mark gulped down the bite of his burger then turned his attention towards Owen, "what are you a trauma surgeon or a dietician?"

"I'm just saying…you've got practically every single food group on that burger, it can't be good for you" Owe argued as he took a bite from his chicken salad.

"Well I guess it's a good thing that I'll be burning the calories off the minute I get home" Mark hit back before taking another bite.

Derek shook his head, unsurprised at all at what Mark was insinuating.

Lexie on the other hand sat there with her arms folded across her chest and her eyebrow raised. "How is it exactly that you plan on _working off _all those calories later tonight?" she asked with an amused smirk.

Mark didn't respond but simply gave Lexie his best seductive smile, the smile he knew that was always her undoing.

"You're unbelievable" Derek scoffed as he took a sip of his bottled water. "It's like you just assume that sex is a given thing every night".

"Well not _every _night, just most nights…besides remember how you once said that Meredith gives you sex when you're hurt. Well my Grey gives me sex when I've been working really hard".

"Ahh so that explains why you've actually been work done around here lately" Derek hit back.

"Ha, ha, ha" Mark replied.

Derek turned his attention to Lexie, "are you sure you want to be living with this thing?" he asked while pointing towards Mark.

While Lexie shook her head in silence and laughed at the two of them Owen sat there in complete amazement. He couldn't remember the last time, if ever, that he was that close to a friend that he could say anything and everything without it being a big deal.

"Hey if you're having problems in the bedroom you need to talk _Big Grey _about it, don't go putting silly little ideas into little Grey's head" Mark demanded as he took a swig of his bottled water to wash down the last bits of the burger.

Before Derek could even come up with a clever comeback he was cut off by the sound of Meredith's voice, "hey what's going on?"

"Oh nothing much, we were just sitting around talking about Derek's dissatisfied sex life" Mark explained with an evil smile on his face.

"Excuse me?" Meredith asked with a frown as she walked further into the room.

"Ignore him" Lexie jumped in, hoping that it would stop Mark from saying anything else. "He's been working for the last seven hours straight, meaning that he had to behave himself…so now his taking it out on Derek"

"Right" Meredith answered skeptically as she sat down next to Lexie, she couldn't help but let out an exhausted sight.

"How is he" Lexie whispered looking down at the table, it still hurt to think about it.

"He's stable" Meredith answered with a deflated tone in her voice, she had spent the whole night going backwards and forwards with Cristina that she now just felt so drained.

"I'm really starting to hate that word" Lexie muttered.

"I know what you mean" Meredith answered while she tried to stifle a yawn, her entire body was screaming for sleep and her eyes were beginning to hurt.

"When was the last time you actually slept?" Lexie asked with a concerned look.

Meredith casually shrugged off Lexie's question, "I got a couple of hours in last night. It's no big deal; I've pulled longer shifts working…"

"Yeah but they weren't as emotionally draining as this is" Lexie cut in.

"Have you seen Izzie?" Meredith asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Just came from there before I brought the guys some lunch. Alex was pacing up and down the room while Cristina kept fussing over all of the monitors. I thought it was probably better that I didn't go in so I left them alone, but the nurse told me that she had been…"

"_Stable_" Meredith answered, she was slowly beginning to realise how much she also hated hearing that word. "You know you could have gone in right, you should have gone in…Izzie would you want there. In fact she's come to see you as a really good friend"

Lexie scoffed at Meredith's comment, "yeah I'm such a good friend that I couldn't even tell that John Doe was George" Lexie argued with bitterness.

"Hey what did we talk about last night" Mark demanded with a scowl on his face, he hated the fact that Lexie was carrying so much guilt.

"I know what we talked about last night Mark, but it still doesn't make it any easier. The fact is I should have known it was George, I was living with him for crying out loud up until a few weeks ago" Lexie argued back.

"Hey if anyone should have known who it was it's me ok. I'm the one he lived with for nearly two years, I'm the one who was in the same group of interns with him, I'm the…" Meredith began to ramble but instantly shut up at the sound of Mark's booming voice.

"Neither of you could have know" Mark exclaimed with anger, "neither of you could have known because the man lying in that hospital room isn't O'Malley, at least not anymore. Sooner or later you two, and everyone else in this damn hospital, are going to have to accept the fact that the O'Malley you all once knew and loved is gone" Mark retorted with venom in his voice. He didn't give either one of them a chance to respond as he quickly got up and flew out of the room.

Derek quickly jumped out of his own seat to follow Mark but was cut off by Lexie, "I'll go" she offered softly.

"No I should go, I'm his best friend" Derek argued back, he really needed to be the one to help Mark through all of this. It was his only way of making up for the last few weeks.

"No offense or anything Derek, but I think it's best that I go…none of us really need a reminder of what happens between the you two when one of you is having a bad day" Lexie answered while referring to their fight on the bridge a few weeks ago.

**************

Lexie quietly leant against the railing of the bridge and waited for him to say whatever it was that he needed to get off of his chest. Mark had been getting good at that, he wasn't as closed off as he used to be.

"I made fun of him" Mark whispered so softly that Lexie wasn't even sure she had heard it.

"What?" Lexie asked as she edged closer towards him so that their arms were now brushing against each other.

"O'Malley, when he told us that he had joined the army I made fun of him…told him that the only way he'd be coming home was in a body bag" Mark explained with his eyes closed tightly, wondering why the hell he had said it in the first place.

Lexie quietly wrapped an arm around Mark's shoulders, "Mark he knew that you didn't mean it…"

"Yes I did" he quickly jumped in, "I meant what I said because I'm that kind of guy. I'm the guy who says crude and callous things…I'm not the guy who holds his wife's hand while she's fighting cancer and I'm sure as hell not the guy who jumps in front of a bus to save a complete stranger. I'm Mark Sloan, so yeah at the time I meant what I said and now I might not have the chance to tell him I'm sorry".

Lexie dropped her arm and reach out to turn his head so she could look him in the eye. "Am I an idiot?" Lexie asked bluntly.

"Excuse me?" Mark asked with a frown on his face.

"I don't want to go tooting my own horn or anything but I'd like think that I'm pretty smart, and a smart woman wouldn't go getting involved with a _cold and callous _man…"

"Lexie" Mark whined out as he stepped away from her, "this isn't about you…"

"No you right this isn't about me, this about you Mark" Lexie replied with a determined look on her face. "And I though that we had already had this conversation before. How many times do I have to keep telling you that you're not that guy Mark? That you, the man I love, are a sweet, caring, smart, funny guy who just happens to be a world class Plastic surgeon" Lexie argued.

Lexie gently ran her hand against the scruff of his beard before leaning in to give him a soft kiss. "You will get to tell George you're sorry because I trust you Mark, and I have no doubt whatsoever that if anyone can save him it's you".

Mark slid down to the floor of the bridge and rested his forearms against his knees. "You're all expecting me to bring O'Malley back, to put him back together the way he was before and I don't think I can Lexie. I'm not Derek…"

"What has Derek got to do with this?" Lexie asked as she sat down beside him.

"Because for our whole lives Derek's been the good one and I'm the screw up. Derek's the one you go to when you're in trouble; he's the one that people trust to make things better. I'm the one that everyone knows is only good for two things…sex and making a bad situation worse" Mark answered hoarsely.

"You're not the screw up Mark and you have far more better talents then being good in bed" Lexie argued, but she could see that it was going on deaf ears.

Taking a deep breath she squeezed his hand tightly to get his attention, and once Mark had looked at her Lexie knew she had him hooked.

"We're surgeons, it's what we do. People come through those doors every day broken, bruised and battered and they think we're god. They think that we can wave a magic wand suddenly everything will go back to they way it was before…but you're right it can't. After going through something like this you can never go back. But you can go forward; you can keep fighting the monsters that are hiding in the closet" Lexie paused to see if Mark had in fact listened to what she had said.

"I'm not expecting you to fight George's monster for him, nobody does. But you can help him, you can help him move forward and I know that you're capable of that Mark…"

"I'm not Derek…"

"Will you stop with the whole Derek thing? I saw what it did to you Mark, what having the chief brush you off like you were nothing while Derek was having this huge breakdown. You felt like you were nothing, but you are not nothing Mark…you are an amazing surgeon. A surgeon who not only gave a woman her voice back but you also gave a man back his wife. And you didn't just perform a face transplant; you helped a man to understand what it felt like to feel normal again. You did those things, _not _Derek, and it's the reason I'm proud of you, it's the reason I'm proud to say that this is the man I love…" Lexie began to say but was quickly cut off by a deep and urgent kiss.

Mark looked into Lexie eyes as he ran his fingers through her hair, "nobody's ever said that to me before…nobody's ever actually told me that they were proud of me" Mark admitted feeling stupid. He was a grown man; he shouldn't constantly need the approval of other people he kept telling himself.

Lexie let out a light giggle, "I love this…"

"You love that you're in love with a broken man" Mark asked with frown.

"First off you not broken you're evolving, and secondly I love knowing that all these little pieces of you that you keep showing me are mine and that nobody else has ever seen them before. I love the fact that I'm enough for you to stay committed, I love that you want me to move in with you, I love you that you love me. But more importantly I love that you trust me…that you trust me enough to let me in, to see all the dark and twisty stuff. Because it's who you are and I love that about you" Lexie explained as she leant in for a kiss.

Lexie softly brushed he lips against Mark's, enjoying the taste of his lips against her own. Lexie reluctantly pulled away from Mark, her lips instantly missing the warmth.

Mark rested his forehead against Lexie's; sometimes he still couldn't believe that he had this incredible woman by his side. Mark tried to find the right words to say in response to Lexie's heartfelt plea, but the only words that kept drifting through his mind were _marry me_. It wasn't that the words scared him; in fact Mark could feel them on the tip of his tongue. But Mark didn't want Lexie to remember him saying those words to her while they were sitting on the floor of the hospital bridge.

**************

_**Keep the reviews coming guys and I hope you all continue to enjoy it. **_


	24. Chapter 24

_**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story so far and I'm thrilled that there are people who really like this story. **_

**************

**Chapter 24**

"What do you think?" Mark asked a little too eagerly as he shoved the few loose papers in front of Derek.

"What are they?" Derek asked with a frown before leafing through them.

"Real estate, they're houses that are on the market" Mark explained casually, trying to make it sound as if it was really no big deal that _he _was looking at houses.

"A _house_…I thought that you were looking at condos" Derek asked, he was trying really hard not to smile at Mark. He could see the eagerness in Mark's face, it was the same look he had had the day he showed Meredith the blueprints to their house a while back.

Mark shrugged and quickly snatched the papers out of Derek's hands, "I hate moving, it's a pain in the ass so I figured the easiest thing to do would be to just find a house…the perfect house that Lexie can see herself in for the next forty years. Because trust me it's the _last _move I make to anywhere in Seattle".

"Forty years" Derek repeated with a huge grin on his face, "I'd be careful Mark or soon you're going to start talking about babies" Derek mocked. But the mocking suddenly came to a halt at Mark's relaxed demeanour.

"My god you want babies" Derek announced so loud that if there had been a nurse near by they would have definitely heard him.

"I never said that" Mark asserted while it was his turn to try and stop himself from smiling.

"No…but the lack of protest on your behalf says a hell of a lot more" Derek explained. He quickly closed the patient file that was in front of him because the conversation he was having was far more interesting…and somewhat far more important.

Mark was starting to feel a little uncomfortable with the conversation because while he had told Lexie he loved her, and he had asked her to move in with him, and while he had been contemplating the idea of marriage babies hadn't even crossed his mind recently.

While the idea of being a father had always been something Mark toyed with, way back then, Mark thought that he had known what every woman knew and that was that Mark was not father material.

"Just tell me what you think of these" Mark asked briskly as he laid the papers out on the bench again, hoping to change the subject.

With the same look he had on his face every time he was about to operate, Derek examined the papers carefully. "Have you shown these to Lexie?" Derek asked without taking his eyes off of the papers.

"I was thinking of surprising her" Mark explained with an unspoken _so don't you dare tell her_ added to it.

Derek nodded his head in understanding, "well can you really see yourself spending the next forty years of your life in one of these houses?" Derek asked dubiously.

"So in Derek speak that means you hate them?" Mark asked with a hint of irritation, he thought that he had finally narrowed it down since this morning.

"I'm not saying anything" Derek replied, startled by Mark's reaction to his comment.

"Yes you are saying something; because you're my best friend…you're the guy who builds blueprints for his wife. I need you to tell me what to do because I can't stuff up this, I need this to be perfect" Mark explained in exasperation. It was beyond his understanding how some men were so calm and cool about this sort of thing.

"Mark relax, it's not like you're asking her to marry you" Derek had joked, but the look on Mark's face was telling him that this was not something to be joking about. "Mark…" Derek asked hesitantly because he really didn't know what else to say.

"I haven't bought the ring yet" Mark heard himself say before he could even stop it.

Derek looked as though his eyes were about to pop out of their sockets, Mark announcing that he was going to propose was the last thing Derek had expected to happen today. His shock was quickly replaced with excitement, "congratulations" Derek offered while giving Mark a quick hug.

"Don't congratulate me just yet" Mark ordered with a smirk on his face.

"Don't congratulate you on what?" Callie asked as she suddenly came out of nowhere.

"Mark's proposing" Derek announced with a proud smile on his face.

Not taking Derek's announcement seriously, Callie scoffed before taking a sip of her coffee. But the stern look on both Mark and Derek's face suddenly made the coffee go down the wrong way. "Wait you're serious?" Callie asked Derek after finally managing to regain her voice.

"Deadly" Mark answered for Derek as he stood facing Callie with his arms folded against his chest. Mark had a wounded look on his face because he had imagined that Derek would be the skeptical one and Callie would be the supportive one…not the other way around.

"Well let's see the rock then" Callie asked with a sudden look of giddiness on her face, although she wasn't sure if she was more excited for Mark or for Lexie.

"He hasn't bought it" Derek explained.

"Who hasn't bought what?" Owen asked as he began rummaging around the nurses' station for something.

"Lexie's engagement ring" Derek announced once again.

Owen immediately stopped searching for what he needed, the search all but forgotten.

Mark furrowed his brows at Derek's direction, "are you planning on telling everyone you see today?"

"Payback's a bitch" Derek answered with a sly smile as he thought back to the way Mark had behaved when he had been planning Meredith's proposal.

"Yeah well for that…you just lost best man privileges" Mark explained while pretending to be serious. "Hunt you feel like playing best man" Mark asked with a faint smile on his face.

"You do realise she hasn't actually said yes yet" Callie cut in; she hated to be the one to burst Mark's bubble. But as far as Callie was concerned this was far too important to make it a joking matter.

"You think she's going to say no" Mark asked suddenly with a look of panic written all across his face. Mark hadn't even allowed himself to contemplate the idea that Lexie may say no when he had decided that he really wanted to do this.

"She's not going to say no" Callie panned as she squeezed Mark's shoulder in a comforting gesture; she was also trying really hard not to roll her eyes. "Little Grey's obsessed with you…you're all she thinks about" Callie explained, knowing that Mark would understand the latter part of her comment.

Mark let out a sigh of relief; it still amazed him how a wave of calm would always take over him whenever he thought about Lexie.

"Mom is going to be so excited…you better make sure that she has a front row seat to the blessed event" Derek commented with a serious look on his face.

Mark frowned as he thought over Derek's statement, "why?" he asked with a confused look.

Derek couldn't help but scoff at Mark's question, "uhh because she's already missed out on seeing one son get married…there's no way she's going to miss out on _two _getting married, she'd kill you".

"Great so now _I _have to pay for those stupid post-it notes" Mark teased as he tried to picture the kind of wedding that Lexie would want.

"Shepherd that's not what's important, what's important is _how _he's going to do it?" Callie cut in, wanting to know all the important details of when, where and how Mark had planned on doing this.

"Going to do what?" Lexie asked casually as she and Meredith joined the four Attendings around the nurses' station.

Mark, Derek, Callie and Owen all jumped at the sound of Lexie's voice. "Jesus woman don't you know not to creep up on people like that" Mark scorned with a frown on his face; he really didn't like people creeping up on him.

Meredith shook her head as a tiny smile escaped from her, "you sure about him…because I really do think there are better fish in the sea" Meredith commented with a cheesy grin on her face so as to let Mark know that she was only joking.

"Grey either way you're stuck with Mark for the rest of your life…get used to it" Callie commented with a wicked grin in Meredith's direction.

"So what were you all talking about just now?" Lexie asked so she could change the subject, she still wasn't quite sure about this truce that Mark and Meredith had seemed to call.

"O'Malley's surgery" Owen quickly jumped in, his years of military training to be quick thinking came in handy.

Any response Lexie may have had was quickly cut off by the sound of her pager, "Dr. Yang's looking for me" Lexie commented dryly as she looked down at her pager.

"I'll come with you, Cristina needed to talk to me about something earlier before" Meredith commented as they both began to walk away.

"O'Malley's surgery" Mark repeated while looking at Owen with suspicion.

"What would you rather I tell her we were discussing how you're going to propose to her" Owen hit back with a smirk because he knew that he had Mark cornered.

Mark shook his head and turned to Derek, "you can't tell Meredith…you tell big Grey, big Grey will tell Yang and Yang will tell Lexie and I can't afford for this to go wrong".

"Ok first off Yang would never tell Lexie because they're not even friends and second off that's not fair…Lexie knew that I was going to propose, in fact you're the one who told her" Derek protested.

"I never told Lexie, _you _told Lexie and besides it's not the end of the world if Meredith doesn't find out until _after _she's said yes" Mark argued back.

"Not if you don't mind her objecting to the whole idea" Callie chimed in a sing song voice.

Mark frowned at Callie, "I don't need big…Meredith's _approval _to propose" Mark argued defensively.

Derek couldn't help but laugh at Mark's comment, "you don't remember what the girls put poor Justin through before he asked Lizzie to marry him do you?"

Mark shivered as he remembered the hoops that the poor bloke had to jump through before he could marry Derek's sister. "Yeah well Meredith and Lexie don't have that kind of relationship".

Callie rolled her eyes, "you don't know anything about the sister-sister dynamics do you?"

Mark shook his head and walked off in a huff, he knew that it would be a miracle if Lexie didn't find out about his plan before the end of the day.

**************

"Was Mark acting weird to you?" Lexie asked Meredith as she began to ramble on about something that Meredith wasn't really listening to.

"Define weird" Meredith answered with a playful smile, she refused to admit it out loud but Derek was right. Mark really was a good guy who just happened to make a few mistakes, and he was definitely somebody she'd want in her corner.

"I'm sure its noting right…" Lexie tried to convince herself, but her instincts were telling her otherwise.

Meredith couldn't help but see the irony in all of this; she was supposed to be the one rambling on about the Mc doctor while her insecurities ate away at her and Cristina would be the one handing out advice…or remarks that is. "His probably just worked up about George's surgery because it's a big deal; this is _George_ his going to be cutting in to not some random stranger".

Lexie shook her head in protest, she had always had this uncanny ability to convince herself of the worst and no one would ever be able to talk her out of it. "He's change his mind…his decided that he doesn't want to move in with me anymore and now his not sure how to break off. He thinks that I'm some weak, pathetic intern who wouldn't be able to handle Mark Sloan walking away from her…" Lexie began to ramble as she worked herself up into a panic.

"Lex, Lexie" Meredith shouted while she began shaking her by they shoulders, "Mark isn't breaking up with you" Meredith argued but the she could see the resistance in Lexie's eyes.

"He is, he doesn't want me anymore, but I mean really could you blame him. What with my crappy family…" she turned to Meredith, "no offence. I just mean mom died of the hiccups, our father's a drunk…who could blame him for not wanting anything to do with my crappy DNA".

Meredith smirked; Lexie was behaving the exact same way she had when Meredith was convinced that Derek didn't want her babies. "He wants your crappy DNA, trust me. I don't know why but apparently he and Derek are gluten's for punishment, I mean why else would they _choose _to attach themselves to the Grey sisters" Meredith teased as she wrapped her arm around Lexie's shoulders and guided her towards Izzie's room. Meredith was starting to get the hang of being a big sister quite easily and sometimes it surprised her, but other times she secretly enjoyed it.

"You really think so" Lexie asked timidly, she could feel her cheeks turning red from the embarrassment of her overreacting.

"I know so, if something like that was to ever happen Mark would tell Derek and Derek would tell me" Meredith argued rationally and that seemed to have won Lexie over.

"You're right" Lexie declared as she thought about Meredith's comment, it was a sound and rational theory. If Mark was ever going to break up with her Derek would definitely know before her, and Derek wouldn't hide something like that from Meredith.

"Of course I am, Shepherd's are always right" Meredith answered with a smug look on her face.

Lexie laughed at her sister, "god not even married 24 hours and you're already starting to act all smug like Derek".

"Hey don't judge me, god only knows what you'll be like when you become a Sloan" Meredith teased back. "What with the size of Mark's ego I'm surprised the guy can even get his head through the door" Meredith commented with an evil grin but suddenly froze in her spot.

"What is it?" Lexie asked with a frown on her face.

"Oh god we're going to turn into our husbands" Meredith revealed while pretending to have a disturbed look on her face.

Lexie giggled as she shook her head, she knew that picturing the idea of her and Mark married was dangerous territory. Because deep down it was something that she really wanted, but if Mark never did…well it wouldn't be the easiest thing to swallow. So Lexie refused to think about it, because not thinking about it meant that she could live in denial. "No you're not, you're not going to turn into Derek" Lexie argued, hoping that Meredith would ignore the fact that Lexie commented about her and Derek and not about Mark.

Meredith waved Lexie's comment off; "yes we are…its inevitable" Meredith explained and let out a slight scoff. "It's what happens when two sisters marry two brothers".

Lexie shook her head in disbelief, Meredith wouldn't seem to let go of this whole idea of her and Mark getting married. Meredith really had grown up over the last few months; she was becoming all happy and smiley.

"They're brothers huh?" Lexie asked with a playful grin because she had never heard Meredith refer to Mark and Derek in that way before.

Meredith rolled her eyes at Lexie, "we're going to be the little old Grey wives who have to literally pull their husbands a way from each other just to get a single second of attention".

Lexie and Meredith both couldn't help but burst out laughing at the thought of Mark and Derek in old age, probably being as stubborn and as pig headed as they are right now…or maybe even worse.

**************

_**Keep the reviews coming guys and I hope you all continue to enjoy it. **_


	25. Chapter 25

_**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story so far and I'm thrilled that there are people who really like this story. **_

**************

**Chapter 25**

Mark couldn't help it, it was driving him insane.

It had been four days since Mark had decided he was going to propose to Lexie, and three days since he had bought the ring…but still nothing.

Mark stretched himself out on the couch inside the Attending's lounge while he fiddled with the diamond ring. He had been wracking his brain for ideas on how to proposed, every time he had settled on how and when he was going to ask Lexie the second guessing would start.

Mark needed this to be perfect, so perfect that Lexie wouldn't be able to refuse. Because as much as Mark hated to admit it there was always the prospect that Lexie could say no, and Mark was certain that there was no way he'd be able to bounce back from that.

"Hey are you listening to me" Callie yelled out as she pegged a cherry tomato at Mark's head.

"What the hell is your problem" Mark growled as he threw the tomato which had hit him back at Callie.

"My problem" Callie repeated incredulously as she pointed at herself, "I'm not the one who's practically retreated into his own shell and has become so obsessed with that stupid ring" Callie hit back bitterly.

Mark quickly sat up on the couch and looked at Callie with a serious face, "you're jealous" Mark announced with an air of amusement.

Callie shook her head, "of course I'm jealous you moron…relationships are supposed to be hard, there isn't supposed to be any smooth sailing…especially where Grey's are concerned. While most of us have to go through a never ending line of bad eggs just to find _one _good egg…your good egg is the first egg you find".

"What the hell do eggs have to do with anything?" Mark asked with a frown on his face while he kept playing with Lexie's engagement ring.

Callie let out a groan of annoyance, "what I mean is that while the rest of us have had to go through a long line of bad relationships to find the one, you managed to do it first go. It's like some huge cosmic joke you know that right…Mark Sloan, aka former man whore extraordinaire, finds the woman he is supposed to spend the rest of his life with on his first attempt at a monogamous relationship…you suck" Callie exclaimed and turned her back on Mark.

Mark couldn't help but laugh at Callie's rant because she was right; the irony had not been lost on Mark at all. "Yeah will this could just be another apart of the great cosmic joke, everything goes smooth sailing for me until the part where I get down on one knee and ask her to marry me and she laughs in my face" Mark argued, crouched down in front of Callie.

"She won't say no" Callie argued with a pout, "well that is if you actually do get around to asking her. How long do you plan on holding onto that ring any way?" Callie asked as she quickly snatched the ring out of Mark's hand and admired it for the millionth time.

It was the most exquisite piece of jewellery Callie had ever seen and when Mark first told her that he had doubts about it she really wanted to hit him. Part of her also couldn't help but hate Lexie, not only was she getting a husband who was a god inside the O.R. and amazing in bed but now amazing taste in expensive jewellery had to be added to the list.

"It's not as easy as it looks" Mark argued defensively, he knew that he was dragging his feet but he just couldn't make up his mind on how to do it.

"God is he still playing with that ring" Derek asked as he entered the room and walked over to the hot coffee.

"Hey no mocking the pretty, shiny jewellery" Callie scowled as she handed the ring back over to Mark.

Derek laughed as he took a sip of his coffee, "I see somebody's feeling a bit left out".

"Yeah well it seems that these days you only get a sparkling diamond ring if your last name ends in Grey" Callie pouted.

Derek and Mark decided to ignore Callie's comment, "you know you're actually going to have to show her the ring sometime" Derek explained while slipping into the empty chair across from Callie.

"Just what ever you do don't go hitting it with a baseball bat after showing it to her for the first time" Callie advised with a wicked grin on her face.

Derek rolled his eyes, "are you people ever going to let that go?"

"No" both Callie and Mark answered at the same time.

"Hey if you really aren't sure what to do you should ask Stevens, she's a girl" Derek offered, because he really just wanted this all over and done with. As much as he loved the fact that Mark was ready to take this huge step his weird behaviour was giving Derek ulcers.

"Hey what am I chopped liver?" Callie asked with a mock look of hurt written across her face.

"I don't think so" Mark answered as he shook his head, "the last thing Stevens needs is me bugging her about proposals".

"Well as her doctor I'd argue other wise…Mark she's stable now and, besides I know for a fact that she could use the distraction. Karev and Yang are driving her insane with all their hovering, I'm actually afraid that she's going to kill one or both of them pretty soon" Derek explained with a faint smile.

It had been three days since Izzie had woken up from her 'coma' as everybody kept referring to it because nobody could bring themselves to actually say the words. At first Izzie had been furious with Alex and Cristina for disobeying the DNR order but as each day went by she became more and more grateful.

"Trust me Mark; she could really use the distraction. If it helps think of it this way, asking Izzie for ideas would basically be like asking Lexie how you should propose. Those two are practically the same except for different hair colour" Derek teased.

"You mean how they both willingly tied themselves down to two very lost, desperate and helpless men and somehow fell madly in loved with them" Callie teased also.

"You suck as best friends" Mark pouted as he stormed out of the Attending's lounge with the ring curled up tightly in his fist.

**************

"So how's the patient doing?" Mark asked with a forced smile as he stood in the middle of Izzie's hospital room, he felt like an idiot and an ass all rolled into one for even listening to Derek's suggestion.

Izzie let out a groan of annoyance as she flopped back down on to her bed, "I swear to god if you are in here because Alex or Cristina asked you to check up on me I am going to kill them…after I kill _you _for actually listening to them".

Mark found himself genuinely smiling at the resident, and it was a strange experience for him. Lexie, Derek and Callie were the only three who ever saw Mark genuinely happy. "I'm afraid I'm actually here for purely selfish reasons" Mark explained as he sat down in the empty chair.

Izzie let out a small squeal as she clapped her hands in excitement, "please I'm begging you…be as selfish as you want, you have free reign to be Mark Sloan".

Again Mark found himself letting out a small laugh at Izzie's behaviour; he could kind of see why so many people liked the woman.

Without saying a word Mark stretched his arm out and placed the diamond ring in Izzie's lap and waited for her response.

With her eyes bulging out of her sockets Izzie quickly picked up the piece of jewellery and admired it, Mark swore that she looked like she was about drool all over it. "I'm flattered Sloan but you do know that I'm a married woman" Izzie joked.

"And here I was thinking that I could entice you to reconsider your choice in husbands" Mark joked back as he took the ring back from Izzie and placed it in his coat pocket.

"So when are you asking her?" Izzie asked as she jumped straight to business.

"That's where you come in" Mark admitted sheepishly, he found it oddly embarrassing that he couldn't even think up of his own proposal.

"You want it to be perfect…to be romantic and you're stuck on ideas" Izzie voiced in with a smug grin.

Mark frowned at Izzie, "not romantic Stevens…just _perfect_. I don't do romance" Mark explained with a threatening look.

Izzie waved her hand at Mark's comment, "first thing you need to understand Sloan is that this isn't about you, this is about Lexie and what Lexie wants…and so help me god if I see even _one _post-it anywhere near that gorgeous ring I am going to kill you" Izzie teased as she held up a threatening finger at him.

Mark had to stop himself from groaning, he could already feel the head ache coming on.

"Ok Lexie isn't like most women; she won't want all the clichés like flowers, roses and chocolates and all that other stuff…"

"She won't" Mark cut Izzie off frowning, he had imagined that was exactly the way Lexie would of wanted to be asked.

Izzie shook her head in disbelief, "a girl doesn't want clichés Sloan. She wants to know that the man she's going to be marrying had put some genuinely original thought into _how _to ask her…"

"So I need to be original" Mark asked with a look of terror on his face, this was worse then he had even thought it would be.

Izzie giggled at the look of fear on Mark's face, without even thinking she reached out and gave Mark's hand a tight squeeze in a comforting gesture. "Relax, I promise you that it will be simple and pain free".

"Pain free huh?" Mark asked doubtfully.

"Yep, now" Izzie exclaimed as she clapped her hands together, "first off we're going to need details…"

"Details" Mark repeated.

Izzie rolled her eyes at the Attending, "if you're going to repeat every word that comes out of my mouth we could be here a whole year before you ever get around to proposing".

"Ok what sort of details?" Mark asked hesitantly because there was a small part of him that was worried that Izzie would go over board with this.

"Well we already know _how and where_ you two met…you know most people come to a hospital to be made whole again, yet the Grey's seem to find it as some sort of aphrodisiac" Izzie stated while laughing at her own joke. "So I guess my next question would be…what was the first _non medical _conversation that you and Lexie ever had?"

"Easy, I was teasing her about how pathetic she was for not having the guts to tell O'Malley that she was in love with him" Mark blurted out so quickly that he wasn't even thinking about it.

George was still touch go, while Izzie had seemed to come back fighting strong George was still deep in the woods. Izzie was terrified of losing George but she didn't like to ask a lot of questions about his condition, her brain felt like it was over loading. She could only deal with one thing at a time, and right now another life and death situation wasn't one of them.

An awkward silence filled the room, Mark felt like kicking himself for even bringing O'Malley up. "I guess we can scratch that idea…I mean I really don't won't to be reminding Lexie of a crush she had for another guy while I'm asking her to marry me" Mark tried to joke as a way of lightening the mood.

Izzie couldn't help but let out a faint giggle at that, "okay then, what was the first _non medical _conversation that the two of you had _outside _of this hospital?"

Mark let out a small chuckle as he thought back to that night at Joe's, a night that seemed like a lifetime ago. "I made her recite the periodical table" Mark explained with a fond look on his face.

"Why on earth would you make a woman recite the periodic table?" Izzie asked in confusion.

Mark casually shrugged his shoulders, "a few hours earlier Lexie had told me that she had a photographic memory and I wanted to test it out".

"Fine…first date" Izzie asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Uhh date?" Mark asked shyly, a bit embarrassed to admit that he and Lexie had never actually been on a date before.

"Yeah a date…you know where you take a girl out to dinner or a movie and you pay for everything while acting like the perfect gentlemen" Izzie explained but was only met with silence. "Oh come on you can't tell me that you and Lexie having been dating all this time but that you've never been on an actual date", silence filled the room once again. "What, did the two of you just fall into bed together and the sex was so grate you decided to just keep going with it" Izzie teased, having no clue how dangerously close to the truth she was.

"Next question" Mark quickly ordered, no matter how desperate he was to find the right way to do this, there was no way that Mark was going to tell Izzie the truth about the first night he had spent with Lexie. The only person who knew about that was Callie and that was exactly how it was going to stay.

"You've got nothing" Izzie declared in disappointment, "no first date, no first romantic conversation, and no first kiss. The only thing you have is the fact that you're her teacher…"

"Stevens you're a genius" Mark proclaimed as the perfect proposal quickly began to formulate inside his head and the more it grew the more exited Mark got. Without even thinking Mark quickly leant forward and kissed Izzie on the cheek as a thank you for the burst of inspiration before running out of her room.

"Happy to help" Izzie called out to an empty room with a smile on her face, she couldn't wait to see the look on Lexie's face when she sees the ring. But more importantly Izzie couldn't wait to find out _what _it was that she had said that made her such a genius.

**************

"Lexie" Derek called out to her from down the hall and lightly jogged up to her.

"Dr. Shepherd" Lexie greeted him with an awkward smile; Derek hardly referred to her by her first name because he didn't want the other interns to think that he was picking favourites, unlike a certain Plastic surgeon that they both knew.

"Dr. Sloan needs you in O.R. 3" Derek explained while trying really hard to keep a grin off his face.

"But Mark doesn't have any surgery's scheduled" Lexie answered with a frown as she mentally went through the list of Mark's procedures scheduled for today. She bad become Mark's own walking, talking blackberry as Callie kept referring to her.

"Dr. Grey didn't any one ever tell you not to question your boss?" Derek asked as he tried to play the part of the annoyed Attending. He wasn't sure whether Lexie was buying it or not, but what he was sure of was that he had to get Lexie down to O.R. 3 as Mark had asked.

Derek wasn't sure _what _Mark's plan was, all he knew was that Mark had paged him asking Derek to get Lexie down to the O.R. room as soon as possible. Derek didn't question it because this was Mark, and Mark's proposal had to go down his way…not the way Derek would do it. All Derek really cared about was that tonight he'd be at Joe's celebrating his brother's engagement.

"Ok…I'll just go down to O.R. 3 then" Lexie answered sceptically as she began to walk away.

**************

Izzie smiled the second she saw Derek and Meredith walk into her room; she really hadn't had a chance to talk to them about their illustrious _wedding_.

"Welcome to the club" Izzie told Meredith as she stood near the foot of the bed.

"Club" Meredith repeated with a frown on her face and looked at Derek questioningly.

Derek shrugged his shoulders, because despite how far he and Meredith had come long he still hadn't mastered the art of decoding girl talk…or at least Seattle Grace girl talk.

"Yeah, the happily married club…though I'm still mad at you about _how _you went and did it. I had decided that I was going to be really mean and horrible to you about it, but with a third party joining the club I decided to let it go" Izzie answered with a playful glare.

"A third party" Meredith repeated very slowly as she let the words sink in.

Derek subtly took a step back from Meredith so that he was now out of her line of sight.

"Yeah…" Izzie answered with a frown on her face, not sure why Meredith wasn't connecting the dots, it's not like it was everyday that your little sister got engaged.

Derek stood behind Meredith making a slicing gesture with his hand across his neck to signal Izzie to shut up, unfortunately for Derek Izzie wasn't paying attention.

"I thought you'd be at least _happy _that Sloan was planning on asking Lexie to marry him" Izzie stated with a frown.

"What?" Meredith bellowed in complete anger, she wasn't made at the fact that Mark had planned on making his arrangement with Lexie permanent. She was mad that nobody felt the need to tell her.

"Who told you that?" Meredith quickly questioned as she let it all sink in.

Derek could feel the lump in his throat forming; he was scared because he knew that Meredith was going to kill him.

"Sloan was apparently stuck on _how _to actually ask her, and apparently Derek suggested to Mark that he come ask me for some advice…"

"Derek Christopher Shepherd" Meredith yelled out as she turned on her heels to glare at her husband.

With her arms folded across her chest and a scowl on her face Meredith slowly began to walk towards Derek. "You knew…you knew that Mark Sloan was planning on asking my _sister _to marry him and you didn't feel the need to tell me" Meredith stated quietly, trying really hard to hide the betrayal she felt.

"Mark asked me not say anything" Derek quickly answered as a defence.

"So what best friend trumps wife?" Meredith asked, trying really hard not to smile at her husband. She loved watching Derek squirm because it was a very rare occasion.

"No" Derek quickly answered, but then nodded his head. "Actually in this instance yes, best friend does trump wife…especially when I had resided myself to the fact that said best friend was _never _going to get married" Derek argued with a pleading look for her to understand.

Meredith felt her entire resolve melt away at the look on Derek's face, he was right after all. Mark Sloan being in a monogamous relationship was one thing, but Mark Sloan asking a woman to marry him was an entirely new ball park.

Meredith knew that this would mean a lot to Derek; that watching his best friend…his brother settle down and actually be happy was very important to Derek. And after meeting Diana Sloan Meredith really couldn't blame him or Carolyn Shepherd for that.

Meredith looked over at Izzie who was smiling at the two of them; she let out a sigh of pretend annoyance. "Now I really am stuck with Mark Sloan for the rest of my life" Meredith commented while once again trying to hide her smirk, after all she had already accepted it a long time ago and deep down there was a part of her that was grateful for that.

"Yeah" Izzie exclaimed happily as she began clapping her hands together, "you and Derek, Lexie and Mark…you're one big McHappy family".

Derek and Meredith looked at each other for a split second before bursting out into a hysterical laughter, some how they, Derek and Meredith, had become the McFamily of Seattle Grace.

**************

Lexie entered the scrub room and she could see Mark sitting on top of the operating table, swinging his legs as he waited for her. Lexie wasn't really sure what the hell was going on but she did hope that it would explain Mark's weird behaviour lately. She still hadn't been able to let go of this faint nagging voice in the back of her head which was telling her that Mark was walking away.

"I'm not having sex with you in an O.R. room" Lexie explained as she leant against the door frame.

Mark looked over his shoulder at Lexie; he could feel himself grinning like an idiot as he watched her. His eyes were glued on her as he watched her push herself off of the door frame and made her way over to him.

As she got closer Mark could feel his heart beating faster and faster, his mind seconding guessing him again. Mark had never wanted anything in his life as badly as he wanted this, there was no way out this time…and he didn't want out, he wanted in.

Lexie lightly jumped up onto the table and sat beside Mark, "so you mind telling me what I'm doing here exactly?"

Mark paused as he thought about what it was that he wanted to say exactly, he thought that he had it all planned out when the idea came to him. But the second he saw Lexie standing there and realised that this was it words had eluded him.

Mark quietly reached out to grasp Lexie's hand and gave it a tight squeeze, "do you remember Michael Breyers?" he questioned Lexie. Mark wasn't sure where he was going with this, but since it was the first _and _last time he would ever do this Mark decided to just go with the flow.

Lexie furrowed her brows in Mark's direction, "you mean the black ice patient…the one who lost his voice in the accident, and whose wife found that he had been sleeping with her best friend?" Lexie asked. Suddenly she felt this huge hole in the pit of stomach as fear began to consume her, a million thoughts were rushing through her head.

On the top of the list was why Mark would be bringing up Michael Breyers of all patients.

Mark silently nodded his head as he took extra care the words he used, "do you remember what you told him?" Mark asked.

"Mark you of all people should know that I talk a lot, you can't seriously expect me to remember every single word that comes out of my mouth" Lexie teased lightly. But the truth was she did remember, she remembered it word for word but for some reason the fear inside of her wouldn't let her to say the words out loud.

"You said that people make mistakes. That they sleep with the wrong person and they hide it…but it's the part that comes after that matters. The part where you make it right…"

"Mark" Lexie whispered; she couldn't seem to force herself to say anything else because her throat had suddenly gone all dry.

Mark chose to ignore Lexie's call and went on with what he had to say, because suddenly saying what he needed to say came to him as the most natural thing in the world.

"That's when I knew, when I knew that you were special…that you weren't like everybody else inside this hospital. You don't judge people on there past mistakes, you judge them on what they're capable of doing and for some reason you saw something in me that nobody else has in a long time" Mark declared with a smirk on his face.

Lexie watched Mark cautiously; every time she thought that she had this man figured out he'd go and do the exact opposite.

Mark looked around the O.R. room with a fond smile on his face, "and this is the exact spot that I called you a coward for not telling O'Malley how you really felt about him" Mark explained as he looked back at Lexie.

Mark leaned towards Lexie and kissed her softly on the cheek, "you have no idea how grateful I am that you refused to take my advice".

Even though she was riddled with uncertainty Lexie couldn't help but smile at the memory of it all. "If I remember correctly you also told me that when you liked somebody you made sure that they know it…because life's too short to live it any other way" Lexie reminded him. And unfortunately the last few weeks had reminded all of them just how short life really could be.

Mark smiled as an unexplainable sense of wonder consumed him, no one had ever really listened to a thing Mark had said and to have Lexie remember those words meant something to him. "This O.R. is also the same theatre that was used to give Mrs. Patterson her voice back…"

"Is there something going on between you and O.R. 3 that I should know about Sloan?" Lexie asked with a smile on her face, the fear slowly melting away.

Mark shook his head as he smiled at Lexie, "if it hadn't of been for this O.R…for Mrs. Patterson, you would never of have come to my hotel room and asked me to teach you" Mark explained as he slowly pulled his hand out of Lexie's hold and jumped off of the table.

"Well I don't think that we can put it all down to this room and Mrs. Patterson…Sadie does deserve some of the credit" Lexie explained with a devilish smile. She knew how much Sadie had rubbed Mark the wrong way; as far as he was concerned the further away she was the better.

"Shut up" Mark ordered with a grin on his face.

"Excuse me" Lexie exclaimed in mock hurt.

"I said shut up…I'm trying to do something here and you're not going to ruin it by bringing up crazy Sadie" Mark explained as he shoved his left hand inside his coat pocket and began fiddling with the ring.

Lexie raised an eyebrow as she looked at Mark with a doubtful look, "you mean to tell me that there's actually a purpose to all of this" Lexie asked as she signalled around the room with her hand.

"Lexie you of all people should know better than anyone else that there's a method to my madness" Mark teased as he placed his hands on either side of the table. He had Lexie trapped on top of the O.R. table as he leant in and kissed her softly on the lips.

Lexie slightly pulled away and began running her hand along the scruff of his beard, she loved the way the bristles of his beard rubbed against her skin. "And what madness is that exactly?" Lexie questioned rather seductively.

Mark pulled away and gripped Lexie's left hand, he took a deep breath to steel himself for what was about to happen because it was now officially out of his hands…it was up to Lexie now. "That night you came to my hotel room, you told me that you respected me as a man, as a surgeon and as a teacher. You asked me to teach you…only the thing is you're the one whose been teaching me" Mark explained as he looked her in the eyes.

"You're the one who put me back together Lexie. You're the one who taught me how to be a better man, someone that you could be proud of…you taught me that it was okay to want more for me, to want a better life…" Mark was saying but stopped as Lexie began shaking her head. "And I know how you don't like it when I say that all of this is because of you but could you do me a favour, just shut up and take a compliment for once in your life".

Lexie giggled as she reluctantly nodded her head and cupped Marks face in her hands before kissing him on the lips.

It was Mark's turn to pull away; he brought his hand out of his coat pocket clutched tightly around the ring. "So I was hoping that you'd be able to find it in you to teach me one more thing" Mark asked as he held his clasped hand out in front of Lexie. His hand was shaking, _now or never_ Mark thought to himself as he opened his fist to reveal the diamond ring.

"Teach me how to be a good husband" Mark whispered feebly as his heart stopped, waiting for her answer.

Lexie was very rarely lost for words, but this was definitely one of those times. It seemed that in a split second everything Lexie ever wanted from Mark was being handed to her in diamond ring.

She was trying really hard not to do the typical girly thing of crying, but it was becoming more and more difficult to hold back the tears as Mark stood before her offering her a future together.

Without even thinking Lexie quickly pushed his hand away and grabbed Mark by the lapels of his coat, pulling him against her Lexie wrapped her arms around his neck as she gave him a deep, passionate and hungry kiss while sweeping her tongue through his mouth.

Mark kissed Lexie back just has deeply, matching her pace while holding onto the ring more tightly then he had ever held onto anything before.

After finally pulling away because of the need for oxygen Mark rested his forehead against Lexie's. Running his finger against her jawbone Mark closed his eyes for a second just so he could savour the moment while Lexie ran her fingers though his hair.

Lexie couldn't help but smile as she looked down at Mark's clutched hand which was now resting beside her thigh. Lexie reluctantly pulled back her right hand so she could gently brush her finger tips against Mark's knuckles to get het his attention.

Mark pulled away from Lexie slightly and looked at her; he could see the pure joy etched into her face.

With the biggest cheesiest grin on her face Lexie held her head side ways as though she was in deep thought. "So can I have my ring now?" Lexie finally asked with a seductive pout.

**************

_**Keep the reviews coming guys and I hope you all continue to enjoy it. **_


	26. Chapter 26

_**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story so far and I'm thrilled that there are people who really like this story. **_

**************

**Chapter 26**

"Okay, okay all of you shut up" Derek ordered as he stood up from his seat with his single malt scotch in hand. "Now as the soon to be best man I think it's only fair that I get to say a few words here" Derek explained as he looked around at Mark, Lexie, Meredith, Callie, Arizona and Owen.

"Make it quick" Callie called out laughing as she hid behind Arizona while Derek glared at her.

"Well I guess first off I'd like to say that I'm proud of you Mark, not only have you managed to find an amazing women to fall in love with you but you also believed in yourself enough to know that you deserve this" Derek toasted.

Mark silently nodded his head in thanks to Derek's heartfelt words, not even six months ago Mark would have believed he and Derek would get back to this point of their friendship. And to have a second person tell him that they were proud of him in one week was icing on the cake as far as Mark was concerned.

"And to Lexie" Derek continued to say as he held his glass out even higher, "all I really have to say is thank you, thank you for not giving up on Mark even when everyone else was telling you to…but more importantly thank you for making my best friend, my brother, happier then I have ever seen him before" Derek declared but was quickly cut off by Callie.

"To the soon to be Mr. and Mrs. Sloan" Callie toasted as she also held her glass up to Derek's.

"You love this" Mark cut in with a playful glare in Callie's direction.

"Oh prepared to be heavily mocked until the wedding day arrives" Callie advised with a devilish grin, she was bursting with excitement for Mark because she could see the joy written all over his face.

"To Mark and Lexie" Meredith quickly called out in the hopes of changing the topic; luckily everybody else got the hint and joined in on the toast.

While everyone continued to laugh and make fun of Mark Meredith was distracted by the sight of Cristina sitting at the end of the bar sulking. Subtly Meredith snuck away from the group and headed over towards Cristina, "hey what are you doing sitting over here by yourself?" Meredith asked with a smile.

"Leave me alone Meredith" Cristina ordered in a dull tone with her head in her hand as she continued to stir her drink.

Meredith immediately dropped all pretences of being nice and glared at her person, "is it too much to ask of you to play nice for five minutes…to join the rest of us and have a drink to celebrate the fact that my _sister _is getting married?"

Cristina scoffed as she took a sip of her drink, "oh please, since when is she your sister? You've spent practically the last year trying to forget the fact that she even existed and all of sudden you two have become best friends".

"Cristina" Meredith exclaimed in a threatening tone as she grew more and more annoyed with her person.

"I mean are you done pretending like you actually care about all of this because we both know that you don't? The only reason that you're putting on this show is to make McDreamy happy…not even married less than a month and you've already started act like something you're not just to make him happy" Cristina argued as she took another sip of her drink.

Meredith shook her head in disappointment, she didn't know what the problem was with Cristina but she refused to stand around and be berated for being happy for her sister and Mark.

"Ladies" Owen greeted Meredith and Cristina as he stood beside Meredith with his drink in his hand.

Meredith shook her head and turned her attention to Owen, "you try talking to her" she ordered before walking back over to the others.

"So you going to tell me what's wrong" Owen asked as he sat down on the empty bar stool next to Cristina.

"What's wrong" Cristina repeated in disbelief as she looked over her shoulder at the happy group that were laughing and drinking, "that's what's wrong. Izzie and George are back at the hospital dying and those people are sitting over there getting drunk instead of trying to find a way to save their lives" Cristina explained bitterly.

Owen shook his head in disappointment; as much as he cared for Cristina she just wasn't every really going to understand it. "_Those people_ are here celebrating Dr. Sloan and Dr. Grey's engagement…" Owen began to protest when he was stopped by Cristina's sudden outburst of laughter.

"Oh it's hilarious that you people actually think that Sloan's going to go through it…I mean he may have given her a ring but there's no way that McSteamy's actually going to show up on the day. He can try and change as much as he likes but at the end of the day his still all dark and twisty and he's still a man whore" Cristina explained as she took another sip of her drink. "He's only going to end up leaving her standing at the alter" Cristina muttered under her breath but it was loud enough for Owen to hear.

Owen didn't know Mark as well as everybody else did, but from what he had seen he was sure that Mark was pretty committed to Lexie. And the fact that Cristina was taking her anger out on Mark rather than talking to Owen about what was really wrong bugged him. Owen had believed that he and Cristina had gotten past all of the games but apparently he was wrong.

"Cristina I get that you're angry and upset about Stevens and O'Malley but that doesn't give you the right to accuse _those people _over there of not trying hard enough. We have done everything humanly possible to try and save those two…but there's only so much fighting we can do for them, they have to do some of the work too" Owen explained as he finished off his drink and got up from his seat.

Owen leant against the bar as he took in Cristina's exhausted appearance, "if I learnt anything from my time in the sand pit it's that the world is an ugly place that's filled with war, death and disease. So if you get the chance to experience a little bit of happiness…even if it's only for a fraction of a second then you should take it. And that's what those people are doing over there, they're trying to hold onto a sliver of happiness for a few moments before they have to go back to a world of death and disease" Owen announced in a sombre voice before he made his way back over to the others.

Cristina watched Owen walk away as she thought about what he said; she knew that she hadn't really meant what she had said about Mark. She was really just venting her anger out on the rest of them, which she regretfully had to admit wasn't fair. Reluctantly Cristina downed the rest of her drink and braced herself as she made her way over to the rest of them.

**************

"I need coffee" Lexie declared as she kicked her shoes off and quickly jogged down the hallway towards the kitchen.

"Make that two" Mark called out to her retreating back.

"Make it three" Derek also called out as they made their way into the living room.

"I'll go help her" Meredith offered as an excuse to give the men some time alone. Even though Derek hadn't said it out loud Meredith knew that there were some things Derek needed to say to Mark.

Derek sat down on the couch and shook his head in disbelief as he started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Mark asked as he joined him on the couch.

"Just the fact that in a few months I'll be putting the words _Mark Sloan_ and _married man_ all in one sentence" Derek explained.

They both began to laugh at the thought, "crazy isn't it…me married to a woman" Mark answered back.

Derek quickly sobered up and looked Mark straight in the eyes, "I meant what I said back there Mark. I'm proud of you; you've shown a side of you that I never thought I'd get to see but I have…and my stupid ego almost made me miss it. It's because of Lexie that I know you're going to make a terrific husband Mark…and some day a wonderful father" Derek explained with a smile on his face.

Mark couldn't help but smile fondly at the idea of being a father, and it suddenly hit him that it was now a real possibility that one day he could be somebody's father. "You won't do to bad yourself Derek…at the whole father thing I mean" Mark answered back as he made himself comfortable on the couch.

Derek couldn't help but laugh at Mark's comment, "thanks for the vote of confidence but something tells me that it won't be happening anytime soon, Meredith isn't exactly the type to jump straight into parenthood".

At that exact moment Lexie and Meredith both walked into the living room holding a coffee cup in each hand. As they passed the cups around and made themselves comfortable Meredith and Derek began laughing.

"What's so funny?" Lexie asked with a frown on her face while stealing subtle glances at her ring. She had this unexplainable fear that if she didn't check every few minutes then the ring would disappear and it would all turn out to be nothing but a dream.

"It's just something that Izzie said earlier this afternoon" Meredith explained while she quickly sobered up and took a sip of her coffee. She wasn't really sure that Mark would appreciate the joke.

Nestling herself deeper into Mark's side as he draped an arm around her Lexie let out a sight of content. She was happy…well and truly happy and it was all because of the man sitting next to her. A part of her still couldn't quite believe that things had worked they way had, Lexie had gone from being alone and miserable in Seattle to being loved and happy all because of Mark.

"Now we really do have to find a house" Mark declared as he took a sip of his coffee, his announcement pulling Lexie put of her own thoughts.

"Why?" Meredith asked with a frown on her face, she turned her attention over to Derek and gave him a suspicious look.

"I didn't say anything" Derek protested as he held up his free hand in self-defense, knowing what Meredith was silently accusing him of just by looking at her.

"I think what Mark's trying to say is that with you two already married and us getting married", Lexie explained while breaking out in a huge smile, "we really need to crack down on finding a place".

"I repeat my previous question…why?" Meredith asked with growing annoyance, she had just started liking the idea of having her littler sister living across the hall from her.

Lexie couldn't help but giggle at Meredith's reaction; it made her feel wanted seeing her sister react at the prospect of her leaving. "Because we're pretty sure that none of us really want to be sharing a house together. One married couple is more than enough; you really don't need to be adding a second…"

"Third" Derek interrupted Lexie so he could correct.

The three of them all turned their attention to Derek and frowned at his statement. Derek couldn't help but shake his head as he let out a small chuckle, "I think that you're all forgetting about Stevens and Karev…" Derek explained.

Suddenly the sound of a screeching cell phone stopped anyone from responding to Derek's comment; Mark shook his head as he tried to hold back a groan.

"Sorry" Lexie apologised sheepishly as she quickly made her way over to her bag to answer her cell phone.

Lexie looked down at the caller I.D. and smiled; "Mrs. Shepherd" Lexie announced in a sing-song voice as she turned around to look at Mark and Derek.

Derek looked over at Mark, "you told her already, when did you find the time to tell her that you were proposing let alone the fact that she said yes"

"I told her this afternoon, Lexie was pulled into a surgery after she said yes and I had some free time on my hands…so I figured I may as well call Mrs. Shepherd and give her the good news" Mark explained with a playful smile. He knew that this would up his status with Mrs. Shepherd because, unlike her _biological _son, he actually had enough foresight to call her and tell her the good news.

Meredith couldn't help but giggle at Mark and Derek, the two of them were acting more like children the older they got. But her attention, along with Derek and Mark's, were quickly drawn to the words that were coming out of Lexie's mouth.

"Mrs…sorry Carolyn" Lexie corrected herself as she shook her head with a smile, "no we haven't set a date yet" Lexie answered as she paused to hear what was being said on the other end. "I swear to you that there will be an actual wedding…no Mark isn't going to brainwash me into a court house wedding"

Derek shook his head in disbelief, "you two haven't even been engaged for more than six hours and mom's already on wedding petrol".

"Of course you are going to be at the wedding" Lexie reassured Carolyn, "I totally agree with you Carolyn...Mark is the far more thoughtful son out of the two of them" Lexie answered with an evil grin.

Mark began laughing hysterically at the look on Derek's face, "I guess this means I'm the better man…not to mention the fact that I'm the one who's going to have the wife who defends to me to Mrs. Shepherded" Mark declared through fits of laughter.

Derek didn't respond but simply glared at Mark, he could also see Meredith giggling out of the corner of his eye.

"Ok, we will definitely talk soon. Good night Carolyn" Lexie replied just before she closed her phone and made her way back over to the couch.

"I see mom didn't wast any time" Derek announced as he began clearing up the cups.

"She just wanted my reassurance that she'd get to see at least _one _son actually get married" Lexie explained defensively.

"Yeah well I'd be careful if I was you, because if mom has any say in it you're wedding's going to become a three tiered circus event" Derek teased as he walked out of the room.

Lexie could feel Mark's entire body tense up at Derek's warning, while they had only briefly broached the subject about weddings before and about what Lexie would want they had never really discussed Mark's idea of a wedding.

Lexie looked down at her engagement and thought about the all the things that Mark said to her today and she realised that somewhere along the line it stoped being about the big Church and the white dress.

It was about her and Mark and more importantly abut the part that came after all the fuss. Lexie wanted to make Mark as happy as he had made her, and she knew that standing up in front of a crowd of 100 or more people in a Church was not what Mark would want. She also knew that despite that Mark would still go along with it because it would mean making her happy, but that wasn't going to happen.

As far as Lexie was concerned their wedding day was about them, not about her, and since Mark had gone to the all the trouble of planning the kind of proposal he knew she'd want the least she could do was plan the kind of wedding that Mark would want.

"I think will manage without Carolyn" Lexie answered Derek, who had just walked back into the room, while running her hands through Mark's hair and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. Her mind was already working a mile a minute on planning the perfect wedding for Mark Sloan, because after all it was going to be his one and only wedding.

**************

_**Keep the reviews coming guys and I hope you all continue to enjoy it. **_


	27. Chapter 27

_**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story so far and I'm thrilled that there are people who really like this story. **_

**************

**chapter 27**

"You paged me" Lexie asked from the door way with her hands inside the pockets of her lab coat.

"Let me see, let me see" Izzie squealed in excitement while waving Lexie over.

Lexie tried really hard not to smile but Izzie's excitement and bubbly personality was very infectious. "Just promise me you'll calm down, the last thing I need is for Alex to come in here and kill me for getting you over excited" Lexie ordered as she sat down and held her hand out for Izzie to see.

Izzie grabbed her hand and pulled Lexie closer towards her, she was mesmerised by the glistening diamond ring that decorated Lexie's finger. "I officially hate you, you know that right? Not only are you marrying McSteamy and get to have incredible sex for the rest of your life but you get shiny diamonds to go with it".

Lexie couldn't help but giggle, it felt really good to see Izzie smiling and laughing, however Lexie stoped giggling the minute Izzie's demeanour changed.

"Now we need to get down to business" Izzie ordered in a serious face.

"Business" Lexie repeated slowly, warning bells were going off in her head. She had seen how crazy Izzie had gotten the last time there was a wedding and she wasn't sure that she could control hurricane Stevens.

"Uhh yeah business…we, well actually you and Mark, have to pick a date and then there's the dress, the church, the flowers…not to mention the cake" Izzie began to ramble on, letting her excitement get the better of her.

"Woah, woah Izzie slow down" Lexie exclaimed, hoping to try and stop her before she got too out of hand.

Izzie looked Lexie in the eyes with a smile but her smile immediately turned into a frown, "no, oh no, don't you dare tell me that there are posts-it or pens or any other kind of stationary involved in this wedding" Izzie asked in a panic.

"I swear to you that there is _no _kind of stationary involved in the wedding…"

"Good" Izzie jumped in, not giving Lexie a chance to finish was she was about to say. "Now we need to settle on a date, I'm thinking six months will be more than enough time to plan a wedding so maybe October, November…"

"Actually I was kind of thinking the first Saturday of July" Lexie suggested sheepishly.

"Wow I didn't think you'd want to give McSteamy a whole year to back out of this" Izzie teased, she had a huge grin on her face hoping that Lexie would understand she was only joking.

"Actually I meant July this year" Lexie whispered softly.

Lexie could have sworn that Izzie's eyes were about to pop out of their sockets as she sat there with her mouth hanging opened. "But that's…that's only three weeks away, that's not enough time find a priest, book a church, pick out a cake…"

"Izzie, Izzie" Lexie called out as she grasped her hand and squeezed it tightly to get her attention. "You're not listening to me, this wedding is going to be small and simple…there won't even be more than 20 people at the wedding so I really don't see the point in going to all the trouble of planning a huge circus wedding" Lexie explained while looking down at the floor, she was trying really hard to avoid eye contact with Izzie.

Izzie let out a groan of frustration as she flopped down back on to the bed, "why you and Meredith are so anti-wedding it's beyond my understanding…is this a Grey thing, because you're wedding day is supposed to be…"

"I know, I know, weddings are supposed to be this grand celebration of finding the one and that it shouldn't be pissed away on cheese platters" Lexie argued, reciting the words that Izzie had used to convince Meredith of the big church wedding.

"Exactly, your wedding is supposed to be your dream day" Izzie pouted with a playful glare.

"What about what Mark wants?" Lexie asked with a smirk.

"What about him…his just a stupid boy who happened to give you a gorgeous diamond ring, who cares what he wants" Izzie argued while pretending to be serious.

Lexie swatted Izzie's legs away before she climbed up on to bed and sat down opposite her. "I do" Lexie answered flatly as she looked down at her engagement and began playing with it, "I care what Mark wants because our wedding isn't about me, it's about us".

Lexie looked up at Izzie and saw that she had her undivided attention; she hoped to god that she could make Izzie understand where she was coming from. "I never thought this would happen, I never thought that a man like Mark would fall in love with me let alone ask me to marry him but it did…it did happen. Mark doesn't do the romantic stuff…"

"Stupid boys" Izzie pouted.

Lexie couldn't help but giggle as she shook her head, "but Mark did…he planned this romantic gesture because he knew that it was what I would have wanted, despite the fact that it probably killed him to do it. Isn't that what marriage is really about…about doing the things you don't want to do for the person you love?"

"I guess" Izzie answered reluctantly, she could kind of see where Lexie was going with this but it didn't mean that she had to like it.

"Now it's my turn, I want to give Mark the wedding he'd like…I don't want him standing up there in front of a priest feeling uncomfortable and out of place while he's saying his vows to me…"

"So no doves" Izzie interrupted with a faint smile on her face, wondering if Mark had any idea what kind woman he was marrying.

"No doves" Lexie answered as she reached out and squeezed her hand. "So could you please do me a favour and just pretend to be happy about this, because I need my friend" Lexie pleaded.

Izzie could feel her resolve slipping away as she let out a huge grin, "of course I'm happy for you, you're getting married" Izzie answered as she leant forward and gave Lexie a hug.

"Hey what's going on?" Alex asked with a frown on his face as he stood in the door way.

Lexie and Izzie quickly pulled apart, "nothing, we're just planning a _small _wedding for Lexie and Sloan" Izzie explained with a proud smile.

Lexie shook her head as she smiled at Izzie, she knew that planning another wedding is the last thing that Izzie needed and this was something Lexie wanted to do by herself.

"Grey can I talk to you outside" Alex asked in a dull tone as he dragged Lexie outside the room while holding on to her right wrist tightly.

"Hey that's my scalpel hand you're hurting" Lexie exclaimed once they were out of ear shot from Izzie.

"What the hell is the matter with you" Alex barked with a scowl on his face.

"Me, what the hell is the matter with you" Lexie asked in shock while messaging her wrist, "you know if this leaves a bruise Mark is going to kill you" Lexie went on to say in a sing-song voice.

"Shut up" Alex blew up, "just shut up" he repeated a bit more calmly after seeing the way Lexie flinched. "Izzie died…a week ago she died and you have the nerve to go in there and ask her to play wedding planner all over again"

"Alex I never asked her to do anything" Lexie exclaimed in protest, "Izzie was the one who got way ahead of me and started rambling on about all these wedding things to do" Lexie argued defensively.

"Well you're going to go in there and tell her thanks but no thanks, if you're big enough to marry Sloan then you're big enough to plan your own damn wedding" Alex barked before walking back towards Izzie's room.

"I get that you're scared Alex, I get that you nearly lost her and that you want to do everything humanly possible to protect her…but" Lexie explained pointing backwards and forwards between the two of them, "this is not helping her Alex. Wrapping her up in cotton wool and monitoring every single breath she takes is not helping her. And Alex if you don't wake up and realise that, between you and Cristina, Izzie is literally crawling up the walls from insanity…then you have a bigger problem then whether or not this cancer is going to kill her" Lexie warned Alex.

She could see how desperate and how protective Alex had become over the past few days, but it seemed that his protectiveness had made him so blind that he couldn't see how miserable he was making Izzie.

"Don't you dare try and tell me how to take care of my _wife_" Alex threatened, his entire body was oozing with tension as he had his jaw clench shut.

Lexie let out a sigh of defeat because she could see that it was a losing battle, "ok you win, I'll tell Izzie that I don't want her help with planning the wedding" Lexie conceited. She wasn't happy about it, and she knew how much it was going to hurt Izzie…but right now she needed to do what ever it took to keep Alex happy.

Alex didn't answer her, instead he turned on his heal and walked back into Izzie's room with Lexie following closely behind.

"Hey where did you two disappear to" Izzie asked with a huge grin, she was really looking forward to having something constructive to do other than sitting in a hospital room.

"Umm" Lexie stuttered as she turned to Alex, if this was the way he wanted it then he'd have to be the one to lie to Izzie.

"I needed Lexipedia's help with a patient" Alex quickly explained, and it was an answer that Izzie was happy to buy.

"Oh ok then" Izzie replied while casually shrugging her shoulders, she turned her attention to Lexie, "I was thinking that if you want a small wedding then maybe we could…"

"Izzie" Lexie quickly called out to stop her, she could see the smile on her friend's face and it was at that exact moment that she really wanted to hit Alex. "Izzie I appreciate this but it's not necessary…"

"But if you want this wedding to happen in three weeks then we need to get started" Izzie explained with a strained smile.

Lexie could feel her own heart breaking; she could already see the light of excitement fading from Izzie's eyes. She subtly looked over at Alex out of the corner of her eye and glared at him, "this is something I should really be doing with…with family. And Molly was really, really, excited about helping me plan the wedding when I told her last night" Lexie explained. She felt like crap because she was lying to a woman that she had come to consider as one of her best friends, she still hadn't even told Molly about the wedding.

"Oh" Izzie whispered as her shoulders dropped, she could feel the fresh burst of energy she had gotten from the idea of planning this wedding fade away.

"Izz…" Lexie began to say but was cut off by Izzie's shaking head.

"No it's ok…honestly its fine, I understand. You want to do this with family, and that's how it should be, you should be planning your dream day with the most important people in your life" Izzie explained.

She knew it was irrational but it felt like Lexie had just stabbed her in the back, she had really been beginning to think of Lexie as the sister she never had and well…Lexie made it pretty clear how she felt about her.

"If you don't mind I'm actually feeling pretty tired" Izzie announced, subtly hinting at the fact that she'd like Lexie to leave now.

"Sure, you just get some rest" Lexie explained softly, she really hated Alex Karev.

**************

"Are you actually planning on eating that?" Mark asked Lexie as he took a bit into his own lunch.

"Uhh what" Lexie asked, finally being pulled back from her own thoughts. It had been more than eight hours ago that Lexie crushed Izzie's excitement and she still felt like crap.

"Ok what is the matter with you, I'm no expert on engaged women but I'm pretty sure that they're not supposed to be moping around the day after…that is unless they're having second thoughts" Mark stated with a frown on his face, while panic suddenly began to build up in him.

At first he had decided to shrug off Lexie's odd mood this morning thinking that it would ware off, but it seemed that her mood was only getting worse. As the words tumbled out of his mouth Mark could feel the panic rising, wondering if Lexie was acting weird because she had changed her mind, she had realised that marrying him wasn't what she really wanted.

Lexie shook her head with a faint smile, "I'm not having second thoughts about marrying you Mark…I'm pretty sure that it's the smartest decision that I'll ever make" Lexie explained with a sweet smile.

Mark scoffed as he took a swig of his water, "just remember that when you're mad at me for doing something really stupid" Mark pleaded with a goofy smile on his face.

"I'll try and keep that in mind" Lexie answered playfully before stealing a piece of chicken from Mark's salad.

"Hey you've got your own lunch missy, don't blame me that you choose that smelly tuna fish sandwich" Mark teased while waving his fork around with a piece of chicken on it.

"Are you honestly telling me that you won't share your lunch with me…your soon to be _wife_" Lexie asked with a look of playful disbelief on her face, she still found it odd that Mark had such a dislike for tuna fish.

"What can I say, I don't like sharing my things" Mark answered casually while trying to hide a smirk.

"Well I'm glad you told me this _before _we got married, it's a shame really…I mean we were on a good run while it lasted" Lexie remarked with an uninterested look on her face.

"Excuse me" Mark asked now smiling at Lexie, he was happy to see her snap out of her mood even if it was only for a few minutes.

"What" Lexie asked casually, "if you can't share then clearly I have to find a husband who _can_" Lexie teased, matching Mark's smile with one of her own.

"Ok playtime over" Mark announced as he got up from his seat so he could throw his rubbish away, "you done with that?" Mark asked while pointing at her lunch.

Lexie nodded her head and rose from her seat as well; they both began walking towards the surgical floor in a comfortable silence.

Lexie found herself wondering sometimes what it was she did to be so lucky, she couldn't help how she felt, but sometimes she felt like she didn't deserve him. She knew that she had learn to find a way to accept it because it was just the way she was going to feel every once and awhile for the rest of their lives.

"Lexipedia" Alex called out from the stairs near the hospital entrance as he sprinted up to her and Mark before they stepped on to the elevator.

"How about you try referring to her as Dr. Grey Karev" Mark growled, it rubbed him the wrong way that Alex had his own little pet name for Lexie. He knew that it was irrational but it didn't help knowing that Karev knew what Lexie looked like underneath her clothes.

Alex casually shrugged at Mark's suggestion, "what's the point of that? I mean it won't be long until we have start calling her Dr. Sloan…"

"Alex what do you want?" Lexie jumped in hoping to change the topic, she really didn't want to get into a discussion about whether she was or wasn't going to keep working as Dr. Grey. Not to mention the fact that she was still angry with Alex.

"I need to talk to you" Alex answered, he looked at Mark and then back at Lexie again, "alone".

"I'll meet you upstairs" Lexie explained as she gave Mark a quick kiss on the cheek before quickly walking away with Alex.

Mark shook his head in annoyance, he had finally managed to snap Lexie out of her mood, and now Karev was trying to undo all his hard work. He swore to god that if Karev put Lexie back in her foul mood he was going to kill him; Mark told himself as he stepped on to the elevator, the last thing he saw was Karev dragging Lexie into the nearest conference room.

**************

"What do you want Alex?" Lexie asked in a dry tone, she was standing by the door with her arms crossed and ready to make a quick escape if necessary.

"Izzie's miserable" Alex announced as though it was news that nobody else had heard before.

Lexie opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it when Alex held his hand up to signal her to stop, "I don't need you saying _I told you so _okay" Alex stated with a beaten down look.

"What do you want me to say Alex?" Lexie questioned him sternly; she wasn't going to give him a free pass for making her treat Izzie like crap.

"Nothing" Alex exclaimed in anger, but he wasn't angry at Lexie. He was angry at himself, and at the fact that he had a hand at making Izzie miserable. "I need you to go and ask Izzie to help you plan this stupid wedding of yours" Alex answered timidly as his level of embarrassment rose.

"Let me get this straight…you want me to go up to Izzie's hospital room and ask her to help me plan my wedding after _you _made me tell her that I only wanted family to help?" Lexie asked disbelievingly while trying to keep her anger in check.

"I screwed up ok" Alex screamed at Lexie as his back hit the wall and he slid down on to the floor, "I screwed up" he whispered in exhaustion.

Alex's exhausted and dishevelled look made it hard for Lexie to stay mad at him, "you were only trying to protect her" Lexie argued in his defense as she sat down beside him.

"Some help I am…she's miserable, she's hardly said anything since you left her room this morning" Alex explained looking at Lexie. "I was so busy trying to stay on top of everything that I couldn't take a minute to realise that this morning she was happy…it was the first time since she woke up that I had seen her really smile and it was because of this stupid wedding".

"Alex planning a wedding won't be Izzie's downfall…weddings are supposed to be a happy event" Lexie argued with a faint smile on her face.

Alex let out an exhausted chuckle, "not unless it's a wedding that has a Grey involved" Alex joked.

Lexie nudged Alex with her elbow while trying to keep a smile off her face, "not if Izzie has anything to say about it".

"Well what are you waiting for Lexipedia, don't you and my wife have a wedding to plan" Alex asked.

Lexie reached out and cupped Alex's face in her hand before kissing him gently on the cheek, "thank you Alex" Lexie whispered softly before quickly jumping up on to her feet.

"Lexie" Alex called out just as she stepped out the door, Lexie turned on her heel to look at him. "Make sure that she…just tell her to take it easy ok, there's no rush" Alex suggested, letting go of some of the control was hard for Alex but he was learning.

"Sure thing Alex" Lexie answered with a reassuring smile on her face before heading to Izzie's room.

**************

Lexie was so caught up with her thoughts on what to say to Izzie that she wasn't watching where she was going and walked straight into someone just outside Izzie's room. Lexie quickly looked up, "oh god Meredith I'm so sorry…" Lexie began to ramble.

Meredith shook her head with a smile, "it's fine Lexie, there's no permanent damage" Meredith teased.

"Sorry" Lexie whispered again before noticing where Meredith had come from, "were you just in Izzie's room?"

"Yeah, Cristina asked me to check in on her because she seemed a bit down today" Meredith explained sombrely.

Lexie tried really hard not to let the guilt eat away at her, she started berating herself for letting Alex get to her this morning like that. It was at that moment Lexie was hit with an idea, "Meredith can I ask you something" Lexie asked with a smile on her face.

"Sure"

"I know that you and are have been getting close…as sisters that is, and that things aren't as strained as they used to be. But I wanted to ask you something…actually more like run something by you…"

"Lexie you're rambling" Meredith pointed out with a smile.

"Right sorry" Lexie apologised sheepishly, she hated it when she went off on her tangents because she knew how much it annoyed some people. "I was wondering if it would be ok with you if I asked Izzie to be my maid of honour, I know that you're my sister and everything but it's just that…."

"Lexie" Meredith called out as she gently taped her on the arm to get Lexie's attention, "I would have killed you if you had asked me to do it, I don't know if you've noticed this but I'm not exactly wedding material" Meredith joked with a smile.

Lexie let out a breath that she hadn't even realised she had been holding in, "thanks Meredith".

"No problem, now if you'll excuse me there's a Neurosurgeon I need to track down" Meredith explained before quickly walking off.

Lexie stood at the door watching Izzie who seemed to have dozed off while sitting in a chair near the window. Lexie quietly made her way in and sat down on the bed, it turned out she was wrong because at that moment Izzie looked her straight in the eyes.

"I lied to you" Lexie announced, "Molly isn't helping me plan the wedding, Molly doesn't even know about the wedding…it's not that I'm embarrassed to tell her about Mark or anything like that. It's just that things haven't been too good between us for the last few moths, there's been some resentment on both our parts…"

"Lexie rambling" Izzie pointed out dryly, she was tired and she really didn't know what Lexie wanted to say but she didn't want to hear it either.

"I lied because I was afraid of asking you for your help" Lexie explained with a pleading look for Izzie to understand.

"Afraid of what" Izzie asked, suddenly interested in what Lexie had to say.

"I saw how excited and how worked up you got planning Meredith's wedding and well…I got scared, I got scared that helping me plan the wedding might be too much for you. And I don't think I could live with myself knowing that something happened to you because of me" Lexie explained while taking the fall for Alex. Lexie didn't see the point in telling Izzie the whole truth, as long she was happy what good would come of making her mad at Alex.

"I won't, I swear to you that I will take it as easy as possible while still trying to plan a _small _wedding in less than three weeks" Izzie swore while trying to persuade Lexie to let her help.

Lexie broke out into a huge grin because she could see the excitement coming back into Izzie's eyes. "Well if I'm going to let you help me plan my wedding then there's something that you need to do for me in return" Lexie explained with a mischievous smile.

"Anything" Izzie quickly agreed, not really caring what she was agreeing to because it meant that she had something to do and something to look forward to.

"You have to agree to be my maid of honour" Lexie announced, hoping that Izzie would say yes.

"No, no" Izzie answered quickly shaking her head adamantly.

"Izzie…"

"I said no Lexie, your wedding is supposed to be a perfect day. You don't need a sickly looking bold woman standing up there and ruining things" Izzie whispered, while she was dealing with the inside stuff she was still having issues with the outside stuff.

Lexie shook her head adamantly, "first off you look terrific and secondly I can't think of anyone else that I would rather have up there with me than you…so those are my terms if you want to help plan this thing" Lexie explained, hopeful that Izzie would accept.

"You're terrible at lying" Izzie mumbled with a smirk before thinking it over for a few minutes in complete silence.

"Come on…you get to dance with McDreamy" Lexie explained in a sing-song voice, hoping that it would be enough to persuade her.

Izzie rolled her eyes, "well now you've just made it an offer too good to refuse" Izzie answered with a smile, she had already decided on taking the deal but it was fun to see how far Lexie would go to get a yes out of her.

"Excellent" Lexie exclaimed as she jumped off the bed, "I have rounds to do and Cristina will kill me if I'm late so I'll talk to you later" Lexie explained and turned to leave the room.

"Oh Izz" Lexie called out as she stopped in her tracks, "and remember…this is supposed to be a secret ok. Mark_ cannot_ know anything about we're planning for the wedding until the actual day okay" Lexie explained.

She knew that hiding wedding plans from the groom sounded ridiculous, but Lexie also knew that if Mark found out what Lexie had planned he'd keep trying to change everything.

Izzie tapped the side of her nose and winked at Lexie, "got it, super, super secret wedding plans" Izzie reassured Lexie with a big cheesy smile.

**************

_**Keep the reviews coming guys and I hope you all continue to enjoy it. **_


	28. Chapter 28

_**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story so far and I'm thrilled that there are people who really like this story. **_

**************

**Chapter 28**

"Mark what are you doing up, it's 3 in the morning?" Lexie asked half asleep standing in the doorway.

Mark was so caught up with the files and paperwork scattered around the dining table that he hadn't heard a thing that Lexie had said. It was killing him, he was Mark Sloan, one of the best Plastic surgeons in the _country, _and he still couldn't figure out a way to help George.

"Mark" Lexie whispered as she squeezed his shoulder to get Mark's attention.

Mark jumped at the sensation of a hand on his shoulder because he hadn't even realised that there was anyone there. "Lexie what are you doing up?" Mark asked with a frown on his face, a look that was clearly telling her that she should be back in bed.

"I could ask you the same thing" Lexie commented as she sat down next to him, she reached out to take a sip of his coffee and felt like she was about to gag. "Oh that is disgusting…its stone cold" Lexie explained quickly spitting the coffee back into to the mug.

"I was drinking that" Mark commented dryly, he was too exhausted to be playing games with her.

"No you weren't, and you're forgetting Mark Sloan I know you. You _never _let your coffee get that cold unless you're too busy. So what's going on with you, why are you up at this ungodly hour?" Lexie questioned with a suspicious look.

"Why don't you first tell me what Karev wanted this afternoon and I _might _just think about divulging my own little secret" Mark offered, he was stalling so that he wouldn't have to really explain it to Lexie.

To Mark it felt like they had already had this conversation a million times already, but it still never got them anywhere. At the end of the day he was the Attending, he was the one who had to put George back together not Lexie.

"Or I could just look at the papers that are lying in front of me" Lexie answered with a smirk, she quickly snatched one of the papers off the table before Mark could get to it.

The instant her eyes had seen the letters on print her smile faded away, she cursed herself for having a photographic memory because she knew that this would be burned into her brain now. As Lexie kept reading and re-reading the paper in her hand she realised just how much Mark, Derek and Owen had been keeping from all of them.

Lexie felt as if the world had suddenly stopped turning while she let it all sink in, she was a trained medical physician and just by reading this piece of paper she could see that it would take more than a miracle to save George.

"You should have told me" Lexie ordered in a whisper, her throat felt like it was closing up.

"Lexie…" Mark called out softly in protest.

Lexie quickly pulled her hand away before Mark would reach it and jumped up from her seat. "You should have told us, all _three _of you should have told us" Lexie chanted in a stronger voice, storming into the living room.

Mark sighed in exhaustion as he followed her; this is exactly what he and Derek had been worried about. It was also the reason that the three of them had taken extra care to make sure that no one had access to George's files. "We were…." Mark began to explain but stoped after the glaring look that Lexie gave him.

"You were what Mark, what were you three _geniuses_ trying to do?" Lexie questioned sarcastically, she could feel her anger rising because she was sick of secrets.

"We were trying to protect all of you" Mark argued defensively, but hearing the words out loud he could see how stupid they sounded now.

"You don't protect the people you love by lying to them Mark" Lexie exclaimed loud enough to show him that she was angry, but low enough so that they wouldn't wake Meredith and Derek up.

Mark had no defense, he really didn't know what else he could say to make it right…to make her understand that at the time he and Derek really did think they were doing the right thing.

Lexie paused mid pace and took a hard look at Mark, she could see the exhaustion and guilt eating away at him. It was the same look that she had seen on Derek's face for the past few weeks, Lexie could feel her resolve slipping away.

"So it's really that bad" Lexie asked dejectedly as she sat down on the couch next to Mark and rested her head against his chest.

Mark warped his arm around Lexie's shoulder and brought her in tighter towards him, "we're trying everything we can" Mark whispered.

The cat was already out of the bag; Mark didn't see the point in lying to Lexie any longer. "The bleed in O'Malley's brain is forcing fluid to build up and press down on his temporal lobe, Derek's keeping a close eye on it…"

"But even if something does happen you can't operate" Lexie jumped in, the surgeon in her coming out. "George needs to be put under anaesthetic in order for Derek to be able to operate on the bleed, but if you do the anaesthetic will cause him to bleed out…it's like some twisted joke. What he needs in order for you to save him is the same thing that could kill him" Lexie explained sombrely with a far away look on her face.

Mark began to run his fingers though Lexie's hair but he didn't answer her, he had no answer and that was the problem. He already knew everything Lexie was telling him because he had remembered it off by heart, but he still had no answers.

Lexie lifted her head off of Mark's chest so she could look into his eyes, "that's why he's being kept in a medically induced coma isn't it?" she asked pleadingly for the truth. "It has nothing to do with controlling his level of pain…"

"Its part of the reason" Mark answered, he could see the desperate look in her eyes for the truth. "The other reason being that with O'Malley in a coma Derek can control the build up of fluid".

Lexie leant forward and gave Mark a sweet and gentle kiss on his lips, Mark closed his eyes for that split second while he savoured the sensation of it. No matter how bad the days could get for Mark just the feel of Lexie always managed to calm him down and sooth away the bad.

Lexie pulled away with a serious look on her face, "you need to tell Derek that he has to tell Meredith" Lexie explained.

The tone of her voice didn't go unnoticed to Mark; she had a look on her face that told him she wasn't joking. "Lexie I can't tell Derek what he should or shouldn't tell big Grey".

Lexie shook her head adamantly; she refused to hear whatever it was Mark had to say. "You can and you _will _because I'm not going to lie to Meredith about one of her closest friends…they all deserve to know and you can't expect me to hide this from them".

"But Lexie…"

"Don't you but me Mark Sloan, if Derek really thinks that he's protecting Meredith then he is kidding himself. Besides if Meredith finds out that you and Derek have been lying to her she'll be furious…Meredith already has trust issues as it is, and you two lying to her will only make it worse" Lexie argued, hoping that Mark would understand.

Mark had a surprised look on his face, "me…why would she be mad at me? I'm not her husband" Mark tried to reason.

Lexie shook her head in disappointment because sometime he and Meredith still didn't get it, "because like it or not Mark you're family…and family don't lie to each other, you've seen what having family lie to her has done to Meredith. You two might think that you're helping Meredith, but she won't be grateful that her _husband _and _brother _have been lying to her" Lexie explained, while trying to keep her voice down.

Mark pulled Lexie down on to the couch so that they were lying huddled together facing each other while drawing circles on her back, "family huh" Mark stated as it hit him that Lexie was right.

Lexie nodded her head against Mark's chest as she tightened her grip round Mark's waist, "Meredith and I are the only family that we really have…"

"So that makes me Meredith's family by default" Mark stated as he let out a small chuckle, Meredith was slowly growing on him. And Mark realised that with a bit of time he'd probably become just as protective over her as he was with all of Derek's other sisters.

"Mark please" Lexie whispered in exhaustion, she really didn't have the energy to argue with him anymore.

There was a part of Lexie that hated this, this was supposed to be the happiest time of her life but instead it was filled with guilt, fear and death.

"Ok" Mark conceited as he kissed her softly on her head, "I'll talk to Derek in the morning about Meredith…"

"And Cristina, you need to talk to Hunt about Cristina" Lexie quickly added, as much as she didn't get along with her Resident it still didn't change the fact that she was Meredith's person.

Mark closed his eyes so he wouldn't roll them in annoyance, "and Hunt as well" Mark chanted aloofly. He hated being forced to do things he didn't want to and talking to Hunt about Yang was one of those things. "Is this what being married to you is going to be like…you making me do things that I don't want to" Mark asked with a smirk on his face.

Lexie smile as she buried her face deeper into Mark's chest and nodded her head without saying a word.

"You should have come with a warning label saying _small but dangerous_ or something along those lines" Mark teased as he tried to make himself more comfortable on the couch.

Lexie poked him on his side, "admit it, you wouldn't have it any other way" Lexie explained as she began to drift off to sleep.

Mark smirked as he continued to run his hand through her hair knowing that she was right, he soon followed Lexie's lead and feel asleep.

**************

"Meredith where are my car keys?" Derek called out as he came running down the stairs.

"Shhh" Meredith hissed while standing at the doorway of the living room, looking at something distractedly.

Derek walked up behind her to take a lot at what his wife found so interesting, "why are they sleeping on the couch when there's a perfectly good bed upstairs?" Derek whispered with a frown.

Meredith shrugged her shoulders and dragged Derek down the hall into the kitchen before he woke the two of them up, she had seen how grumpy Mark could be when he was woken up against his own will.

It wasn't long until Lexie began to stir from the sounds of the whispering and the clattering coming from the kitchen. Gently she managed to wriggle herself out of Mark's embrace without waking him and walked towards the noise.

As she entered the kitchen she noticed Derek quickly collecting all the papers from George's file while Meredith's back was turned. Lexie tried really hard not to glare at him let alone yell at him for the way he was behaving.

Just as Derek closed the file Meredith turned around to see Lexie standing in the doorway, "morning" Meredith greeted with a smile before turning her attention to Derek. "What's that that you're holding?" Meredith asked with a frown because she knew that Derek didn't have that with him when he came down.

"It's uhh" Derek stammered while trying to come up with an excuse.

"It's Mark's, it's one of his patient's file…he brought it home with him last night because he's having a lot of trouble trying to find a way to treat this certain patient" Lexie quickly explained. She tried telling herself that she wasn't really lying to Meredith; she was just leaving out certain details like _who _the patient was.

"Morning folks" Mark greeted them before making his way over to the coffee.

Derek walked over to Mark, "you left you're patients file lying around on the table" Derek explained with a fixed stare while he pushed the file into Mark's hand.

Lexie could smell the tension in the room and she really didn't want another fight between the two of them, "hey Mere" Lexie called out excitedly. "Why don't we buy some breakfast and we can take it to the hospital with us…you know have a girl's breakfast with Izzie and Cristina" Lexie suggested, reluctantly muttering Cristina's name.

"Uhh ok" Meredith agreed suspiciously, she wasn't sure why Lexie was behaving strangely but she knew that something was up.

"Great just let me run upstairs to change and then we can get going" Lexie explained before quickly running out of the room.

It took her all about five minutes to change and in those five minutes Mark and Derek hadn't said a single word to each other. Meredith couldn't be bothered to try and figure it out because the two of them were like a rollercoaster ride…up, down, up, down.

"Ok I'm ready" Lexie declared as she walked into the kitchen with her coat and bag in hand.

"Ok let's go then" Meredith suggested as she gave Derek a quick kiss before leaving the room.

Lexie walked over to Mark and gave him a quick kiss on the lips; she pulled away and gave Mark a stern look. "Talk to him" Lexie ordered before following her sister out the front door.

**************

"Your wish is my command" Mark declared proudly as he leant against the nurses station with a smirk on his face.

"You talked to Derek" Lexie asked minus the level of excitement that Mark seemed to be carrying around.

"I talked to Derek" Mark clarified with a smug grin.

Lexie shook her head with a smile as she leant over and gave him a quick kiss on the lips before anyone spotted them. "So it didn't end up in a fist fight between the two of you?" Lexie questioned with a teasing look.

"No it didn't end in a fist fight" Mark answered in a sing-song voice like a little kid, "apparently Derek's now more opened to the idea of taking my advice ever since I became an engaged man…turns out it actually comes in handy keeping you around" Mark bantered.

Lexie chose to ignore Mark's attempt at goading her into a friendly fight because she knew exactly what he was after, "you'll get your reward later tonight" Lexie whispered while trying to concentrate on the chart in front of her.

Mark playfully huffed with his head in his hand, "you know a _loving_ wife wouldn't make her husband wait a whole day for his reward" Mark explained with a playful pout.

"Good thing I'm not your wife then" Lexie remarked, trying really hard not laugh at the way Mark was behaving. "So Derek's going to tell Meredith the truth?" Lexie asked, quickly changing the topic.

"Yes" Mark answered dragging the word out in mock exhaustion, "although if you see your sister storming down the hallways I'd run for the hills" Mark suggested.

"Is that what you told Derek to do?" Lexie asked with a smirk.

"Of course I did, he's my brother…and we both stupidly chose to marry sisters so we need to watch each other's backs" Mark teased with a sly smile.

"Right because you never know when one of us might strike" Lexie answered slyly as she gave him another quick kiss.

Just as Lexie was about to pull back Mark placed his hand on the small of Lexie's back and pushed her closer towards him so he could deepen the kiss. "Mark…" Lexie moaned while smiling into the kiss.

"Stop pretending like you hate this" Mark ordered between kisses.

Lexie giggled as she finally managed to free herself from Mark's grasp, "so _how _did you convince Derek exactly into telling Meredith the truth?" Lexie questioned.

Mark casually shrugged his shoulders like it was really no big deal, "I just used your own argument against him and he seemed to cave...though I did tell him that if it comes back to bite him in the bum that you were the one he needed to talk to" Mark explained with a devilish grin.

Sometimes Lexie would swear that it was the devil himself standing in front of her, because really only the devil could smile such a seductive smile that would make any woman cave into doing what he wanted.

"Why would it come back and bite him in the bum?" Lexie questioned playful while writing something on the chart that was in front of her.

"Well I'm just saying there's no way I am playing mediator between Derek and Meredith, I've done my time…now it's your turn" Mark explained while jabbing himself in the chest.

Lexie shook her head, "think of it as practice for when we have a kid" Lexie suggested with a grin as she walked around the nurses' station to put the chart away.

As she turned around she instantly noticed that Mark's smile had disappeared and in place was a small look of fear in his eyes.

Lexie could feel a slight pang of panic take over her; "Mark" Lexie called out sheepishly as she walked around to his side. "I know it's something that we haven't really talked about…which is kind of silly because you would think two people who are planning on getting married would have talked about it but we haven't. So now I'm asking because I need to know before we actually do this, I mean I need to know that you actually _want _a child…that you're not one of those men who only wants a wife and a career because I have to tell you now…"

Mark tried to hold back the smile that was trying to escape as a wave of relief engulfed him; Mark pressed a finger against Lexie's lips to shut her up. "I was an only child" Mark declared as if that would answer all her fears about the subject.

"Excuse me" Lexie asked with a confused look because Mark's comment made no sense to her.

"I was an only child" Mark repeated again as he slowly pulled his finer away, "so no I don't want a child" Mark explained but paused. He hadn't actually admitted this out loud yet because he was terrified that Lexie wouldn't want the same thing…just like Addison.

But before Mark could finish what he was going to say Lexie quickly jumped in, "well then we have a problem on our hands…a serious problem Mark" Lexie suggested with a deflated look in her eyes.

Mark shook his head while trying not to smirk at her, "Lexie when I said I don't want a _child _I meant it…because I know what it's like to be an only kid, I want my _kids _to have the kind of childhood that Derek had growing up. So the problem I see us having is if _you _don't want more than one" Mark explained.

Mark could feel the hope and excitement surge through him, a part of him had wanted to avoid having this topic in case he heard the answer that he didn't want to hear.

As the words sunk in Lexie grabbed Mark by the lapels of his coat and devoured his lips in a hard and fast kiss while sweeping her tongue through his mouth, not caring who saw them.

Mark had been thrown off guard because that wasn't the kind of reaction he had been expecting, but it was tens time better then what he was expecting. Meeting her own kiss with one of his own Mark wrapped his arms around Lexie's waist as he deepened the kiss.

Lexie reluctantly pulled away when air became an issue and let out a small smile, "you can have as many kids as you want" Lexie mumbled in happiness.

"As many as _I _want huh?" Mark asked with a smirk as his imagination began to run away from him.

Lexie looked up at Mark and shook her head, "I meant within reason" Lexie explained with a playful warning.

"You two get a room" Callie teased as she made her way over to the nurses station.

"Within reason" Mark repeated softly while turning his attention to Callie, "Torres, Lexie and I were just having a discussion about what would be considered _within reason _in regards to kids" Mark explained. He tried not to laugh at the look of shock on Callie's face, "I'm saying eight, Lexie's saying six…what do you think?" Mark teased as Callie's eyes got wider.

Callie kept opening and closing her mouth, not really sure how to answer that question, because it was the last question she was expecting to come from Mark Sloan.

Looking backwards and forwards from Lexie and Mark while pointing at Lexie Callie finally managed to find her voice, "are you…you're preg…"

"No...No" Lexie quickly jumped before Callie could finish the question as a nurse chose that precise moment to join them at the nurses station. The last thing they needed was for the Seattle Grace rumour mill to start gossiping about Lexie being pregnant.

All three of them stayed quiet until the nurse had walked away before Mark turned to Callie, "we were just have a conversation about _future _plans…you know as in one day down the line".

Callie shook her head with a small smile, "I'm not sure the world would be ready for _one _mini-Mark let alone eight of them…"

"He was only kidding" Lexie quickly jumped in, kicking herself for telling Mark as many as he wanted.

"Hey I reckon even if you plan on only having one little Sloan you still need to be sainted for it. It takes some kind of a woman to willing reproduce his genes" Callie teased with a goofy grin while pointing at Mark.

Callie began to walk past Mark but stopped beside him, "but just remember it's Aunt Callie's job to teach little Sloan all the cool stuff that mommy and daddy won't" Callie whispered with a wink before walking away.

"You'll have to fight Derek on that one…and little Sloan is just wrong" Mark yelled out with a grin on his face as he turned his attention towards Lexie.

Lexie shook her head in disbelief while trying really hard not to giggle, "you people are unbelievable…how does a hypothetical conversation turn into a competition between Callie and Derek?"

Mark casually shrugged his shoulders as he his pager went off, "there's nothing hypothetical about it" Mark argued, quickly kissing Lexie on the cheek before running off to his emergency.

**************

_**Keep the reviews coming guys and I hope you all continue to enjoy it. **_


	29. Chapter 29

_**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story so far and I'm thrilled that there are people who really like this story. **_

**************

**Chapter 29**

"Of course the owners are asking for a reasonable price" the blonde, leggy realtor explained to Mark with a sweet smile, completely ignoring Lexie.

Lexie wasn't a naturally violent person, but the more time she spent with the woman the more she wanted to hit her. From the moment Mark had gotten out of the car the woman hadn't been able to stop gawking at him, almost like she was more than happy to have her way with him on the kitchen floor of the first house they had seen.

Lexie had to give Mark credit because he seemed to be oblivious to it, or he was choosing to ignore it.

Lexie couldn't help but notice that every house they had been shown today he had gone over them with a keen eye; he had the same look on his face he did whenever he was operating. "And what is the _reasonable _offer that the owner's asking for?" Mark enquired; he had a strained smile on his face.

Lexie could see just by looking at Mark that he didn't like it, and she had to try really hard not let out an exasperated sigh because it had been the eighth house they had seen today.

"$1.2" the realtor declared in a casual tone, as thought $1.2million was nothing but pocket change.

Lexie could feel her eyes bulging out of their sockets, the thought of paying that much money for a house sounded like the most ridiculous thing in the world to her. Lexie quickly looked over to Mark and prayed like hell that he wasn't serious about this house, because there was no way in the world that she could afford 1.2 million for a _house_.

Mark could see the nervous look on Lexie's face, not to mention the fact that she kept biting her bottom lip and fiddling with her hands…all clear signs Mark had come to learn that Lexie was uncomfortable. "Could you give us a moment please?" Mark asked with the sweetest smile he could muster.

"Oh…of course" the realtor agreed with a look of surprise on her face while finally acknowledging Lexie for the first time since they had started all of this.

As the realtor reluctantly walked down the hallway and through the front door Lexie quickly walked over to Mark. "I think your new little friend's been hoping that I'd magically disappear" Lexie commented mockingly with a look of annoyance on her face.

"You're not funny" Mark panned with seriousness; he was quickly beginning to remember _why _he had been stalling on the whole buying real-estate in Seattle. What he had thought would be a simple task had turned into a nightmare.

"Who's laughing…I woke up this morning thinking that we were going to buy our dream house, and instead I've had to watch some tall, ditzy blonde throw herself at you. You know she may as well have had a sign on her forehead saying open for business" Lexie attacked.

Mark was trying really hard not to laugh at Lexie's comment because he knew that would only make her even madder. But he also knew that she wasn't questioning his loyalty; it was just new territory for her…the only real interaction Lexie had seen between Mark and other women had been the women of Seattle Grace, and they all knew that Mark Sloan was no longer an option.

"Well what do you think?" Mark asked as he gestured around the kitchen, trying to change the subject to a safer topic…a topic less likely to get him into trouble.

"I hate it" Lexie quickly declared, all pretence of being nice gone.

While the two of them had tried not to step on each others toes while looking at the first three houses, they both realised that blunt honesty was the only way this was going to get done quicker.

"What's wrong with it?" Mark asked defensively, it wasn't that he was particularly partial to the house…in fact he hated it as well. It was just the fact that Lexie had seemed to be hell bent on saying no to everything.

"You _really _have to ask?" Lexie asked with a look of disbelief, while taking in her surroundings.

The house itself screamed pretentious, obnoxious, and narcissistic with its marble floors and gaudy space. Meredith's _entire _house fit inside the living room alone and that was the problem. The moment that the realtor had discovered that Mark Sloan was, _the_ Mark Sloan, the only houses they had were within the millions…houses that didn't feel like a home.

Mark pinched the bridge of his nose to try and stop the headache he could feel coming on, "ok then…what do _you _want?" Mark asked, trying really hard not to sound bitter about it.

"This isn't about me" Lexie exclaimed in anger, they were beginning to take their frustrations out on each other.

"Oh it's not…well that's a shocker" Mark exclaimed as he threw his hands up in the air, "because ever since we started this stupid house hunting crap all of you've done is pick, pick, pick".

"Well excuse me if I'm taking this a little too seriously for your liking" Lexie apologised sarcastically, standing there with her arms folded defensively.

"That's not what…" Mark tried to explain calmly because he could see this getting out of hand and ending very badly very quickly. Fortunately for him the sound of his pager ended the conversation right there, "I have to get this" Mark explained waving his pager, and walking away to make a phone call.

Lexie sighed in exhaustion as she looked around the hideous room, somehow all of this had become an uphill battle between the two of them and Lexie hated this. She didn't want to be fighting with him, but it just seemed like they couldn't agree on anything...and it made Lexie wonder if they couldn't agree on a house, what else would they disagree on?

"I have to get to the hospital" Mark announced walking back into the room, "Mrs. O'Malley's finally arrived and she's asking to talk to me and Derek" Mark explained with a calm demeanour. One phone call from the hospital put things into perspective for Mark, "I'm sorry" he whispered as he inched closer to Lexie.

Lexie shrugged her shoulders while trying not to smile, "we both got a little bit worked up…let's just forget about it" Lexie suggested as she took his hand and began to lead him towards the front door.

As they left the house Lexie instantly spotted the annoying realtor who now had a cheesy grin on her face, "now have we made a decision?"

"Were going to keep looking" Mark quickly jumped in, "but I'm afraid we're going to have to leave it for another day…I have to get back to the hospital".

"Of course _Dr. Sloan_" the realtor agreed with a seductive smile, completely forgetting about Lexie once again.

Lexie had to stop herself from gagging at the way the woman was throwing herself at Mark, but it did feel good knowing that she never had to stoop to that level in order to win Mark over.

"Are you going to be ok getting home?" Mark asked in a soft voice, trying really hard to move on from their little outburst.

Lexie silently nodded her head with a smile as Mark moved in closer to give her a quick kiss, but Lexie couldn't resist being a little bit bad and draped her arms around Mark's neck and pulled him in closer towards her. Deepening the kiss as she ran her hands through his hair Lexie threw in a subtle moan for added measure.

Mark knew instantly what Lexie was playing at, but who was he to deny Lexie the pleasure of sticking it to the realtor who had treated her like crap. Mark kissed Lexie back, completely forgetting where he was and deepened the kiss but was quickly brought back to reality with the sound of his pager again.

Reluctantly the two pulled away from each other, "I'll see you tonight" Mark told Lexie, giving her a kiss on the lips before quickly jogging towards his car.

With a satisfied smile Lexie quickly turned to face the realtor who looked like someone had just hit her over the head, "I'm sorry about that, it's just…well you know what it's like, having a man like him right at your fingertips" Lexie commented with a cheeky grin.

"Of course" the realtor quickly jumped in with what was as obvious to Lexie a forced smile. "Now when would you like to reschedule so that we could get this going again?" she asked with a voice that Lexie was sure could have melted butter.

Lexie stood there with a serious look on her face, as though taking the question into serious consideration. With a sweet smile on her face Lexie pointed at the realtor, "you know I actually don't know _when _Mark's going to be free again so…"

"Oh well I'd be more than happy to give you some time to work out a schedule and then I'll call you" the realtor asked with a hopeful look on her face.

"Uhh actually don't call us, we'll call you" Lexie quickly explained before jogging down the stairs to her own car, making a mental note to lose the realtor's card the minute she got home.

_**************_

_**Keep the reviews coming guys and I hope you all continue to enjoy it. **_


	30. Chapter 30

_**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story so far and I'm thrilled that there are people who really like this story. **_

**************

**Chapter 30**

"Hey how did the whole house thing go?" Meredith asked, charging into the kitchen and walking past Lexie who was flipping through a magazine.

Lexie let out a groan of annoyance as she dropped her head against her forearm and began shaking her head. She and Mark had successfully avoided talking about it all of last night.

"That bad huh" Meredith questioned with a smile, grateful that she and Derek didn't have to go through any of that.

"Other then the fact that Mark and I couldn't agree on even _one house _and that the realtor kept throwing herself at Mark it was a perfect day" Lexie answered sarcastically with a smile on her face.

"So her card got tossed the minute you came home right?" Meredith questioned with a smirk.

"I threw it out the car window" Lexie answered with a satisfied smile on her face.

"Good" Meredith praised Lexie with a matching smile, to Meredith's surprise she had become more and more protective of her little sister ever since George's accident.

"Yeah" Lexie cheered flatly as her thoughts came back to her concerns from yesterday, while she had been avoiding the whole subject she could block the thoughts out.

"Ok spill" Meredith ordered, leaning against the kitchen bench with her mug in hand.

"It's just…well it's just that we literally spent the whole day arguing over every single house that we saw, it seems that the only thing we _can_ agree on is that we both like living in _this house_. A…and I can't help but wonder that if we can't agree on a house, on a freakin house, then how the hell can we agree on all the really important stuff. Like how many kids we're going to have, what are we going to name them, what schools to send them to…?" Lexie began to ramble on as she worked herself up into a panic.

"Lexie, Lex…Lexie" Meredith cried out but it seemed pointless as Lexie continued on with her rant.

"Another thing, apparently we've become voiders, we've become the couple who don't talk about their problems anymore but instead go to bed avoiding the issue...we've become the new Derek and Meredith and it's all his fault" Lexie exclaimed, having worked herself up into a full blown frenzy.

"Hey what did I do…I just got out of bed and changed?" Mark asked with a frown, having walked into the kitchen with Derek to hear the last part of Lexie's outburst.

Meredith was the queen of freak outs so she could spot one a mile away, unlike her counter parts, Mark and Derek, who both seemed more than willing to walk into it blindly.

Meredith looked back and forth between Lexie and Mark; she could see the fear and the tension build up in her little sister. Quickly walking over to Derek Meredith began to push him out of the kitchen.

"Hey I haven't had my breakfast yet" Derek protested like a little kid.

"I'll buy you breakfast at Joe's" Meredith answered, rolling her eyes at Derek's behaviour.

"But Joe's isn't opened this early" Derek explained, looking over his shoulder at Meredith.

"Fine, I'll buy you cafeteria breakfast" Meredith groaned, shaking her head at him.

Derek finally managed to pull away from Meredith just as they reached the front door, "I don't want cafeteria breakfast, I want a real breakfast…a perfectly good breakfast that I can get from my perfectly nice kitchen that's just down the hall" Derek argued, walking back towards the kitchen.

Meredith quickly grabbed Derek by the wrist, "what are you two years old?" Meredith asked in amazement at Derek's stubbornness. "I said I'd buy you breakfast, now move" Meredith ordered as she held the front door opened.

Derek wouldn't budge.

Meredith sighed in defeat, "fine you want a really nice breakfast in your really nice kitchen you go right on ahead…and while you're at it you can also be a part of Lexie's freak out that is about to be unleashed on Mark" Meredith explained with a sweet, yet mocking smile.

Derek took all about two seconds to think over Meredith's offer. "Ok cafeteria breakfast it is then" Derek conceited, quickly dragging Meredith along with him.

_**************_

"So are you going to explain to me what all of that was about or do I have to play twenty questions?" Mark teased with a smile as he sat down at the table, but he instantly stoped smiling the minute that Lexie glared at him.

"You're not taking this seriously, you're not taking _anything about this seriously_" Lexie exclaimed in frustration. She was beginning to feel like that pathetic, weak intern she once was because she seemed to be the only one freaking out here.

"Taking what seriously?" Mark asked with a frown.

"Us" Lexie cried out like that one syllable should explain it all.

"I'm sorry correct if I'm wrong, but didn't I ask you to move in with me about a week ago, and then a few days after that I asked you to _marry _me…that's not exactly something a guy would do if he wasn't taking things seriously" Mark advised with an edge of concern, he really had no idea where this was coming from.

Lexie shook her head in protest, "I meant about the part that comes after. We can't agree on a house Mark, a house…and if we can't agree on a house then how are we ever going to agree on anything else? A marriage is supposed to be about two people spending their lives together…happy, not two people spending their lives together in misery because they can't agree on a freakin house".

"So what you're saying is that if we don't find a house that we both like then we're going to be miserable for the rest of our lives?" Mark asked sceptically, wondering if this was really the problem.

"It's not about the house" Lexie snapped, she knew that she was freaking out and it was undeniable. Because she had seen Meredith go through her own share of them to be able to spot them a mile away.

"You just said…"

"Forget about what I just said" Lexie quickly jumped in, she was even confusing herself now.

Mark was literally clueless about what was going on, all he could tell was that Lexie was having some sort of melt down over something…but about _what_ was anyone's guess.

Mark quickly grabbed Lexie by her wrist and pulled her onto his lap, "why don't you take a deep breath and tell me what this is really all about" Mark suggested in a soothing voice as he ran his fingers through her hair.

Lexie did as she told and took a deep breath, closing her eyes and leant her head against Mark's shoulder Lexie shook her head. "It's nothing…just some stupid girl thing" Lexie explained, she could feel her cheeks turning red from embarrassment.

"Ok you managed to kick both Meredith and Derek out of their own kitchen, so I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that this isn't just some stupid girl thing" Mark pointed out, hoping that Lexie would tell him what was really going on.

"Ok it's kind of about the house" Lexie explained as she sat up straight, "but it's also about the fact that we couldn't agree and instead of talking about it we tried to ignore it".

Mark couldn't help let out a small chuckle as he gave Lexie a soft kiss on the lips, "Lexie it's not the end of the world just because we couldn't find a house…we only just _started _looking yesterday. And as for the not talking part, I didn't talk about it because I didn't think that it was really that big of a deal" Mark explained while running a finger along her jaw.

"Great, so now you're marrying a crazy woman who turns little things into these huge disasters" Lexie announced as she wriggled out of Mark's lap.

"No I'm just marrying a Grey, and Grey's are infamous for their freak outs" Mark teased, finally figuring out what was really going on. He quickly wrapped his arms around Lexie's waist so she couldn't get away.

"This isn't how this supposed to go" Lexie announced with a look of disappointment.

"What isn't?"

"You're the one who's supposed to be freaking out about getting married _not _me, I'm the one who's supposed to calm you down and tell you that everything's going to be alright" Lexie explained.

"Well I'm older than you, I've had more practice at hiding my freak outs" Mark explained with a smirk on his face.

It was silly and Lexie knew that, but relief surged through her knowing that she wasn't the only who had freaked out about all of this. "So you've be freaking out as well" Lexie asked sheepishly, biting her lower lip.

Mark kissed Lexie's left hand before looking her in the eyes, "Lexie if I told you how may times I've freaked out about us I'm not so sure you'd want to marry me anymore" Mark teased.

Lexie let out a soft chuckle while shaking her head, "you're wrong about that…knowing that you're just as freaked out about marrying me makes me want to marry you even _more _than I did before".

Mark squeezed Lexie's hand in a comforting gesture, "Lexie sure I've had my moments where I've freaked out, but at no point was I freaking out because I _wasn't _sure that marrying was the right thing" Mark explained. He couldn't help but sense a twinge of doubt creeping into him, wondering if Lexie was starting to doubt her decision.

Lexie furrowed her brows in Mark's direction, "then what _have _you been freaking about?" Lexie asked with curiosity.

"Simple" Mark asked bluntly, "I had been freaking out that you'd wake up and realise that you could do so much better than me, I had been freaking that the moment I asked you to marry me that you'd laugh at me and say that it was the most ridiculous thing you had ever heard…but at no point during my freak outs had the thought crossed my mind that I was freaking out because I _didn't want _to marry you" Mark explained with a gentle look on his face.

Mark could say that with absolute certainty because it was the way he felt, and it was a feeling that Mark hadn't felt in a long time.

Lexie ran her fingers against the scruff of his beard, leaning down Lexie gently kissed Mark on the base of his ear. "Just so you know I wasn't freaking out about marrying you either, I can't wait to marry you" Lexie explained with a coy smile.

"Speaking of marriage, have you actually thought about _when _you'd like the blessed event to take place" Mark asked, using Derek's own words to refer to their wedding.

Lexie's mind suddenly went blank as she searched for an answer that wouldn't reveal her plans; she only had to keep Mark in the dark for three weeks.

"Actually, um, I was thinking…" Lexie stuttered, still not having come up with anything.

Mark sat in his seat smiling; while they hadn't actually talked about wedding plans he knew that Lexie would want the whole church thing like Izzie. And while a church was the last place you would ever think to find Mark Sloan he knew it was what Lexie wanted.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about that" Lexie answered as an idea suddenly formed. "Well seeing as I'm an Intern, and that it's a really hectic time right now…I was thinking that we could hold off on the wedding until _after _the Intern exams…you know that way I can concentrate on one thing at a time".

Mark's entire body went rigid and his smile instantly faded the moment he heard those words coming out of Lexie mouth. "What…but the, that's…it's" Mark stuttered, not really sure how the hell he was supposed to actually say what he wanted to say.

Lexie felt really bad, she could see that Mark was growing worried that she wanted to wait that long, she had to fight herself not to just blurt out the fact that the wedding would be in three weeks…church free and circus free.

"That's not for another nine months" Mark finally managed to say, Mark wouldn't admit it out loud but he had been hoping that the wedding would be sooner rather than later.

"Oh I know" Lexie quickly jumped in as she began moving around the room, gathering her coat and car keys, "but really if you think about it…what's nine months compared to the rest of our lives" Lexie commented casually. She really needed to get out of there before she said too much.

Mark didn't have an answer for her, he was too busy trying to hide the fact that he felt like she had just kicked him in the gut. Before he even had a chance to say anything Lexie quickly kissed him goodbye on the cheek and ran out the front door, leaving Mark alone to think about what had just happened.

_**************_

"I am the worst fiancé in the world" Lexie declared, flopping down into the empty chair in Izzie's room.

Izzie tried to hide a smile, "and why are you the worst fiancé in the world exactly?" Izzie asked with a playful smirk.

"Because I lied to Mark…I looked him in straight in the eye and told him that I didn't want to get married for another nine months, _nine months_" Lexie explained, shaking her head in disappointment. "You should have seen his face, it was as if I slapped him and then said 'hey Mark how about you give me nine months to decide if marrying you is what I really want" Lexie explained in a bitter tone.

Izzie tried really hard, but the laugh seemed to escape completely against her own will.

Lexie glared at her almost best friend and soon to be maid of honour, "you think this is funny?"

"Hey you're the one who wanted a super, super secret wedding" Izzie pointed out before popping a grape into her mouth.

"I know that" Lexie quickly snapped but instantly cringed; she hated it when ever she took out her anger on other people. "Sorry" Lexie sheepishly apologised.

Izzie waved it off, "its fine…Mark put you on the spot and you panicked. You know you could always just tell him the truth" Izzie suggested.

"No" Lexie quickly jumped in, shaking her head adamantly. "As much as I hated lying to Mark this has to be kept a secret Izzie, he can't find out about the wedding".

Izzie let out a sigh of defeat, "well I'm afraid there won't be any wedding to find out about if we don't figure out what to do about a location" Izzie explained. She quickly reached out to grab a pen and paper so she could write some thing's down. "Now besides the hospital and Joe's bar, what are some other places that Mark likes to hang out in Seattle?" Izzie questioned.

"No where" Lexie answered bluntly because it was the god's honest truth.

Izzie scoffed at Lexie's answer, "come on the man has to like _something _about Seattle, other wise why the hell is he even living here?"

"He's living here because Derek and I are here" Lexie explained with a frown on her face, trying to think of at least _one _place that Mark had shown a slight interest in.

"The only place that I can really think of that Mark doesn't mind too much is Derek's land" Lexie announced just as Derek himself walked through the door.

"What about my land?" Derek questioned with a puzzled smile, hearing somebody refer to his land peaked his curiosity considering no one had referred to it in awhile…not even Meredith.

"That's it" Izzie exclaimed in excitement, a huge goofy grin on her face.

Lexie frowned at Izzie's outburst for about five seconds before putting the dots together, and turned to Derek. "Derek" Lexie called out in a sing-song voice with a goofy grin on her face, a smile to match Izzie's.

Derek let out an awkward chuckle, "okay what are you two cooking up and what does it have to do with my land?" Derek questioned. A smart man would have left the room the instant that the two of them began smiling at him like they wanted something…but apparently Derek wasn't a smart man.

"Who says we want anything" Lexie asked, feigning innocence.

"Ahuh" Derek mumbled doubtfully as he turned his attention to Izzie.

"Derek you're Mark's best friend, you're his brother…so wouldn't you want the best for your brother, like say…a perfect wedding" Izzie question innocently.

"What does that have to do with my land?" Derek questioned again, trying really hard not to smile at the two of them.

"Ok here's the deal Derek" Izzie explained, instantly dropping the sweet and innocent act. "You have this ridiculous large piece of land that's just sitting there with no real use to it, so we want to use your ridiculous large piece of land to have Mark and Lexie's wedding on it in three weeks" Izzie announced in one big breath.

Derek beamed with pride and let out a small chuckle, "other than actually building a house, I can't think of anything better than having it used as the spot where my best friend and the woman he loves start their life together" Derek explained with excitement, but a thought suddenly occurred to him.

Derek frowned as he looked back and forth between Izzie and Lexie, "three weeks…then why's Mark moping around the hospital thinking that he isn't going to be a married man until after the Intern exams?" Derek questioned Lexie.

Before Lexie could answer Izzie quickly jumped in, "that's just a tiny weenie little white lie Lexie here told Mark to throw him off the trail so he doesn't find out the truth about the wedding plans".

"Why are you trying to hide the truth about the wedding plans?" Derek asked with a confused look on his face, deciding that he really needed to stop trying to figure women out.

"Because it's a surprise, Lexie wants to give Mark a wedding that he'd be comfortable with and a wedding that he could actually love…and let's face it, can any of us really see Mark Sloan standing in the house of God declaring his wedding vows?" Izzie questioned as she laughed at her own joke.

Lexie shook her head at Izzie, "so we need you to keep this a secret" Lexie explained with a hopeful look on her face that Derek would agree to all of it.

"So you want me to lie to Mark…to let Mark keep thinking that you don't want to get married for another nine months despite the fact that I know what you're really planning?" Derek questioned out loud, making sure that he understood them properly.

"Please" Izzie and Lexie both chimed together with the sweetest smiles they could muster.

Derek shook his head in disbelief, not really believing the fact that he was about to cave to a Resident and an Intern, "fine you win…but _you two_ have to deal Mark's mood swings" Derek threatened as he quickly walked out of the room, completely forgetting why he had been there in the first place.

Lexie turned to Izzie about to say something when Derek popped his head back into the room, "just so we're clear, I'd be thrilled for you guys to use the land".

"I had already made the executive decision that you're loaning us your land" Izzie explained with a smug smile.

Derek shook his head before quickly walking away, hearing nothing but the chuckling of two very conniving women in the background. He couldn't help but wonder if Mark really understood what kind of woman he was marrying.

**************

_**Keep the reviews coming guys and I hope you all continue to enjoy it. **_


	31. Chapter 31

_**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story so far and I'm thrilled that there are people who really like this story. I know some of you have been anxious about getting to the part of the actual wedding…and so have I actually, so I've decided to jump it ahead a bit…so now it's the day before the wedding. Whether it's the right thing or not I'm not sure, you guys can be the judge of it, but please be kind **__****___

**************

**Chapter 31**

One more day…just _one more day _Lexie kept chanting to herself as she walked into the house, it had all become a living nightmare and she didn't now how to stop it.

Lexie was trying really hard to figure out what it was she ever did to make God hate her this much…things had started off well and she had good intentions, but the closer it got to d-day the harder things got.

Mark wasn't any help either, while he was still clueless about what was going on, which was a miracle in itself, he still continued to carry on like a two year old. Making constant digs any chance he got about Lexie's 'wedding plans'. Making it known to anyone who would listen that he whole heartedly disagreed with what she wanted.

It was on days like these, days that she felt like she was reaching her wits end, that she felt like exploding and telling Mark the truth just to shut him the hell up.

But Isobel Stevens was Lexie's saving grace, whenever she felt herself crumbling under the pressure of it all Lexie would pay a little visit to the Oncology ward and all would be right with the world again.

Between saving lives and planning a super, super, secret wedding Lexie had lost count of how many times she had wondered what the hell she was thinking…why in that puny little brain of hers, did she think that she could be an intern and plan a wedding in three weeks, all at the same time.

And today had been no different from any other day, Lexie had been running back and forth between surgeries and wedding plans all day that sometimes she forgot which was what. At one stage she was discussing floral arrangements with to Dr. Hunt, luckily for her Owen agreed to pretend like it had never happened and walked away, thank god for small mercies was all Lexie could say.

She was exhausted, not scratch that, exhausted couldn't even begin to describe how she was feeling. She couldn't wait until she was standing in front of all their friends and family as the priest declared them husband and wife...because it meant that they were finally done with all the secrecy, and all the planning. Instead Lexie could focus all her attention on being an Intern, an Intern who also happened to be _Mrs. Sloan._

The thought of that, the thought of hearing people refer to her as Mark's wife put a big goofy grin on her face. But Lexie was quickly brought back to reality by the sensation of smooth lips moving up and down the back of her neck, and she knew exactly whose lips they belonged to. Letting out a small moan in pure delight Lexie quickly swivelled around on the bench and beamed a smile in Mark's direction. "Attending's aren't allowed inside the Interns locker room" Lexie commented, trying really hard not to think about all the different things she'd like to be doing to him right now.

"Well I guess it's a good thing that I'm not an Attending then" Mark spoke in a soft, seductive tone up against Lexie's ear that sent a shiver down her spine.

"Well do you mind telling me if you're not an Attending then what are you exactly?" Lexie managed to get out before the sound of another moan was released as Mark continued to trail kisses down the side of her neck.

"I'm just a guy…a guy who's paying a visit to an incredibly beautiful woman who just happens to be in this particular room" Mark explained, never loosing focus for a single second at the task at hand.

"Well I have to warn you that my _fiancé _could walk in here at any minute now and he can be quite the possessive type" Lexie teased coyly as she began brushing her fingers against the back of his neck.

"I think I'm more than capable of taking this guy on" Mark suggested casually, trying really hard not to smirk.

Lexie cupped the back of Mark's head and pushed him forward, Lexie crashed her lips against Mark's as she swept her tongue through his mouth. She couldn't help but let out a small moan as her nose tingled over the smell of Mark, she knew that she'd never get over the smell of soap and cologne mixed together.

Mark reluctantly pulled away, "is it hot in here" Mark teased with a seductive smirk.

"Nope, I'm perfectly fine" Lexie explained as she rose from her seat so she could change into her scrubs.

"You want me to turn around" Mark teased with a smirk, they both knew that even if Lexie had asked him to Mark never would.

Lexie shook her head at Mark's bad joke, "I think you've seen everything there is to see".

Mark walked up to Lexie so that he was standing behind her, "true…but it doesn't mean I ever get tired of seeing it" Mark explained. Catching Lexie off guard Mark weaved his arms around her waist and began running his fingers across her bare stomach.

It took everything Lexie had not to shiver at the feeling of Mark's fingers against her skin. "Mark", Lexie pleaded in protest while she somehow managed to wiggle out of his embrace, "you need to behave yourself…because if the Chief found out what we were doing he'd have a fit" Lexie argued with a flushed face, she could feel her cheeks burning read.

Mark casually shrugged his shoulders, "first off we're not doing anything…you're making sure of that, and secondly the Chief wouldn't find out because he's too busy hiding in his office" Mark argued.

Lexie furrowed her brows in Mark's direction, "is he fighting with Dr. Bailey again?" Lexie asked while trying not smile.

Mark shook his head in disappointment, "I don't think I've ever meet a man more scared of that many women then the Chief" Mark commented with a smirk.

He and Derek had both found it amusing that the Chief could be so scared of a woman like Miranda Bailey, because as far as they were concerned there was only _one _woman that a man should be scared of and that was his wife.

"So if it wasn't Bailey that has the Chief scared what was it?" Lexie asked confused, despite only being an intern for a short period Lexie learnt early on that Bailey knew exactly how to give the Chief a run for his money.

"Stevens, she snapped in front of everyone and started yelling at the Chief over something"" Mark answered casually.

"Izzie…Izzie Stevens, why would she…?" Lexie asked in a panic, the last thing she needed was her maid of honour/wedding planner to go crazy on her because she needed her.

"Who knows, but she's fine now, the Chief and her cleared things up…after Bailey got involved. It was funny, I've never seen a grown man cower like that before" Mark explained with a chuckle, as he remembered fondly the scene that had unfolded before him.

But Mark was quickly growing bored with the conversation; he really didn't have much interest in Izzie Stevens' problems…he had his _own _problems to deal with.

Lexie had her head stuck in her locker, rummaging around for her I.D. tag that had mysteriously disappeared, "Mark do you know what I did with my I.D. last night?" Lexie asked in a panic. The last thing she needed to be doing was running around trying to get a new I.D. one day before the wedding.

"It's in you're right coat pocket" Mark answered distantly, he was too engrossed with his own thoughts that he was barely listening to Lexie. Mark finally found the nerve to broach a certain topic that they had been ignoring, "I was thinking that since tomorrow's my day off we could give this whole house business another go" Mark suggested casually.

Lexie froze with her head still in her locker, hiding from Mark as she tried to calm herself down. They hadn't brought up the topic of houses since the whole fiasco had happened during their first attempt, so it was beyond her comprehension why Mark would choose tomorrow out of all days to go house hunting…they couldn't go house hunting tomorrow because they were supposed to be getting married tomorrow.

"Uhh tomorrow you said; you want to go looking at houses tomorrow…_tomorrow, tomorrow_?" Lexie questioned nervously. She was stuttering, she could hear the words coming out of her mouth and she could see that it was making Mark uncomfortable.

"Yes tomorrow, tomorrow" Mark answered flatly with a confused look on his face; he thought that making the suggestion would have made Lexie happy…apparently _not_.

"I, umm, I can't…at least not tomorrow" Lexie answered, she could see the frown developing on Mark's face but what else could she do. "Because I, I umm, I have plans with…Meredith, we have plans together. You know doing sisterly things together" Lexie announced with a nervous laugh.

"Lexie I'm pretty sure that Meredith would understand if you cancelled on her, besides you can always reschedule whatever you two have planned" Mark argued back, he really didn't understand why Lexie wouldn't want to do this.

Lexie had stopped herself from groaning out loud in annoyance; yes they needed to find a house but tomorrow wasn't a good day. Besides it wasn't as though they were out on the street the minute they got married, Derek and Meredith had repeatedly told them that they were welcomed to stay as long as they needed.

"I can't, you know what Meredith's like Mark…I don't want to cancel on her because she might feel like I'm abandoning her, and you know how she has strong abandonment issues" Lexie answered defensively. She felt bad using Meredith's issues as an excuse but she really had no other choice, Mark was literally twisting her arm.

"We all do" Mark answered sarcastically, trying really hard not to show his frustration.

"Thank you" Lexie whispered, kissing him softly on the lips before running out the door.

Mark stood in the middle of the Interns locker room dumbfounded, trying to figure out what the hell had just happened.

**************

Lexie barged into Izzie's hospital room like a woman on a mission and quickly closed the door behind her.

"You" Lexie called out pointing at Meredith who was going over Izzie's chart, "if Mark asks we're doing sisterly things tomorrow and it _can't _be rescheduled".

Meredith frowned as Lexie barked orders at her, "why am I lying to Mark if he asks?" Meredith asked, wanting to get the story straight before she put her foot in her mouth and ruined everything.

"Because my _genius _fiancé decided that he wants to go house hunting tomorrow of all days" Lexie explained in frustration while rolling her eyes.

Lexie's comment reminded Meredith of an idea that had come to her a few weeks ago, and she hadn't had a chance yet to bring it up with Derek, Mark or Lexie.

"See this could have all been avoided" Izzie exclaimed in frustration as she flopped back down onto the bed.

"And you missy" Lexie cried out, pointing at Izzie, "what the hell are you doing getting into fights with the Chief…the _Chief_" Lexie exclaimed.

She could feel her heart beating faster, her breathing becoming more erratic, Lexie knew she was having a panic attack because they were clear signs of it.

"Ok sit down and calm down" Meredith ordered as she guided Lexie to a chair and took her pulse, "you're going to give yourself an aneurism at the rate you're going" Meredith warned her.

The past three weeks had made Meredith eternally grateful to Derek and Izzie that she got to miss out on all the stress that came along with planning a wedding.

Lexie had been so stressed over the last three weeks, between saving lives and planning a wedding, Lexie looked like she was ready to collapse.

There were times when Meredith was really tempted to hit Mark, here her sister was trying to plan the perfect wedding for them and all he could do was act like a child and make sarcastic remarks.

"Yeah well if my maid of honour stopped getting into fights with people then I'd be as cool as a cucumber…" Lexie argued sarcastically.

"Yeah well if the Chief had done the _one _thing that I had asked him to do then we wouldn't have a problem would we?" Izzie whined like a two year old.

"Weddings do bring out the best in people don't they" Meredith announced out loud to herself sarcastically.

Izzie and Lexie chose to ignore Meredith's comment, "all I did was remind the Chief that he was supposed to make sure that Mark was put on-cal tomorrow morning so that he'd be out of our hair, that way we could get all the last minute details finished before the ceremony" Izzie argued defensively.

"So what's going to happen now?" Meredith asked; she gently let go of Lexie's wrist after being reassured that she had calmed down.

"Well after I gave the Chief a good talking to he agreed to come up with something that would push back all of Mark's surgeries until tomorrow morning" Izzie explained with an evil smile.

Lexie and Meredith both shook their heads, unbelievable at just how evil Izzie could be when it was necessary. "Izz you do realise that in order for there to be a wedding there has to be a groom" Meredith commented with a smile.

Izzie rolled her eyes at Meredith; "Mere it's only to keep him occupied until we're ready…now Lexie" Izzie called out, going straight into wedding planner mode. "Mrs. Shepherd, Katherine, Elizabeth and Emma are going to be arriving at Mere's place tomorrow morning at about 10am, Derek's already organised a pick up for them so you don't have to worry about that. Alex is going to pick up the dresses and the flowers and also bring them to the house" Izzie explained all in one breath. She quickly turned to Meredith, "the _only _job that your husband has to do is to make sure that Mark stays within these hospital walls until the hour before and then get him up to the land" Izzie ordered with a stern look on her face.

"Ok" both women quickly answered at the same time, Lexie and Meredith had learnt pretty quickly not to question Izzie when she was in wedding mode.

Izzie let out a sigh of relief, "and we're done" she declared with a big goofy grin on her face.

"What, that's it?" Meredith asked with a frown, somehow things seemed to be a lot simpler for Lexie's wedding then they were for her own 'non-wedding'.

Izzie let out a small chuckle, "what were you expecting Mere? This is only going to be a small wedding…literally, so there really wasn't that much to plan. Ooh" Izzie called out looking at Lexie. "That reminds me, I have to call Father Matthew to confirm tomorrow and give him directions to Derek's land" Izzie stated while already dialling the number.

"_Father Matthew_" Meredith repeated hesitantly, "I thought we weren't doing the whole church thing because it'd make Mark uncomfortable" Meredith asked Lexie.

Lexie casually shrugged her shoulders, "Father Matthew was the one who married my parents, baptized me and Molly, married Eric and Molly and baptized Laura…and performed the funeral service for my mom. He's been with us my whole life, and I wanted him to be the one to preside over our wedding. I figured that Mark could at least live with that considering everything else…"

"Lexie Mark will be so surprised when he sees what you have done that he will feel like a complete jackass for the way he's been behaving over the last two weeks" Izzie answered, having just finished her conversation with Father Matthew.

"So we're all set…there's nothing left to do?" Lexie asked, dumbfounded that not only had they actually managed to get everything done, but that tomorrow was the big day. Lexie could feel butterflies fluttering around in her stomach, "in less than 24 hours I'm going to be Mrs. Sloan" Lexie announced nervously with a subtle smile.

"Yep we're all done, everything has been _done_, Dr. Hunt, Alex, and Derek will be up at the land this afternoon organising things exactly the way I told them to, Mere's going to be stopping by Joe's to make sure that he's stocked up on enough liquor and I'll just be making a few phone calls just to double check everything…and all _you _have to do is keep that soon to be _husband _of yours as ignorant as he already is".

Meredith scoffed at the orders that Izzie had just given her sister, "and how's she supposed to do that…Mark's going to figure out that something's going on when he notices that half of the surgical floor is missing" Meredith advised the tow of them.

"Uhh but you see I've already planned for that, the Chief's little incident also means that Mark will have to take the rest of the day off" Izzie explained with a smug grin then turned her attention to Lexie, "so just get Mark home and distract with sex, that will do the trick".

Lexie shook her head in disbelief, "you know sex isn't the only thing that Mark thinks about" Lexie argued in her fiancé's defence. Lexie noticed the _not buying it_ looks on both their faces, "yeah I didn't really buy it either".

"Relax everything is going to be fine, you two just need to make sure that your men are kept in line and things will be smooth sailing for tomorrow" Izzie tried to reassure Lexie. The last thing any of them needed was for this whole thing to go down in flames on them.

**************

"You know I'm starting to think that Richard's letting the ball drop when it comes to the hospital" Mark declared, walking back into the living room with two bottles of beer.

Lexie let out a small giggle as she curled up onto the couch and took the beer that Mark was offering, she felt bad for the Chief. "Mark it's not as easy as you think it is to be the Chief of Surgery of one the country's biggest hospitals" Lexie replied in the Chief's defence. It was the least she could after he had willing put his own reputation on the line so that they could get Mark out of the hospital.

"First the floods and now the electricity…I'm not sure the man knows _how _to run a hospital anymore" Mark argued, he didn't understand why Lexie was defending the Chief.

Lexie, trying really hard not to laugh, turned her attention to the game that was playing on the TV.

Just as Mark was bout to perform his first surgery this afternoon the Chief cut him off, telling Mark that surgeries had to be postponed till tomorrow because of an electrical problem in all of the O.R. rooms. At first Mark was furious, yelling about how the hospital was joke what with its incompetent interns and dodgy hospital equipment.

Luckily for them the Chief was more than happy to let it slide, and walked away before he said anything that would ruin everything. Because he knew for a fact that if the surprise wedding was blown because of him, he'd have not only Adele to deal with but also Izzie, Lexie, Meredith and Bailey…and the Chief wasn't a fool to try and take them all on at the same time.

The room filled with a comfortable silence as Lexie continued to watch the TV while Mark picked at his food, the house was completely silent. At first Mark was surprised that Derek and Meredith weren't home what with all the surgeries that were non-emergency surgeries being cancelled today. But now Mark was grateful that his best friend and sister, Mark surprisingly found himself referring to Meredith, weren't home yet.

Watching Lexie so engrossed with the TV, the way she was curled up on the couch with her beer bottle in hand and the silence around them…this was why Mark wanted to hurry up and find a house of their own.

The idea of having a home that belonged to them, one that they didn't have to share with anyone, was something he really wanted to do. Mark had always been a private man…and while he like Meredith's house, the idea of being around Derek and Meredith 24/7 wasn't very appealing.

Mark's peaceful Friday night quickly came to an end with the sound of Meredith and Derek bickering as they walked through the front door.

"Meredith come on it was pretty funny" Derek called out between fits of laughter.

"No it wasn't Derek; the man looked like he was about to cry" Meredith argued as she flopped down onto the single sofa chair.

Derek shook his head with a faint smile on his face as he thought back to it, he saw the food and bottle of beers scattered around the coffee table. "Where's mine" Derek asked Mark, knowing that Mark would know exactly what he was talking about.

"Fridge" was the only word that Mark muttered before taking a swig of his beer.

"Where were you this afternoon?" Mark asked Derek who had just walked back into the room.

"I was at" Derek started to answered distractedly as he looked through the cartons of Chinese food to see what he felt like, "I was going over all of George's latest test results" Derek explained.

Mark seemed to have bought the lie, while Meredith and Lexie both knew what Derek had really been up to.

"So who was going to cry?" Mark asked, with one eye on the TV and one eye on Derek.

"Don't ask" Derek ordered with an exhausted look on his face as he shook his head.

Mark shrugged his shoulders as he let the matter drop, he was more than happy to be kept out of the Seattle Grace gossip mill. "Hey big Grey, what's this _sisterly thing _that you have planned with Lexie tomorrow that's so important that it can't be rescheduled" Mark questioned, "because I was thinking that tomorrow would be a good day to look at houses again".

"Mark" Lexie cried out through gritted teeth as she glared at him.

"But you have surgeries tomorrow" Meredith answered with frown, wondering if Izzie's plan had backfired.

Mark rolled his eyes, "I know that Meredith…but my surgeries aren't going to take _all _day, and besides is it so wrong for me to be curious about what my fiancé and her sister have cooked up?" Marked asked with a look of suspicion, his gut was telling him that something was going on.

Meredith and Lexie looked at each other for a second; they could see that Mark was starting to see holes in their lies and it was at that moment that Meredith got an idea. "Actually I wanted to talk to you guys about the whole house thing" Meredith announced, finally deciding to bring up an idea that she had been playing around with for the last few days.

"What about it?" Lexie quickly asked surprised, this hadn't been apart of the plan they had cooked up to use as an excuse if Mark questioned them.

"It's about something you said Lexie the day after the whole house fiasco" Meredith explained with a hint of amusement, she had the three of them eating out of the palm of her hand.

"Meredith I'm begging you, please don't pay any attention to anything that came out of my mouth…I was having a bad day" Lexie pleaded, she really didn't want to revisit her momentary freak out.

"Well I can't because it's been in the back of my mind for the last few days" Meredith explained, hoping that they'd let her explain. "Lexie you told me that the only thing that you and Mark could seem to agree on when it came to a house was that you both like living in _this _house…"

"Yeah I remember" Lexie answered hesitantly, not sure where the hell her sister was going with this.

"Well what about this house" Meredith suggested with a faint smile.

Mark quickly reached for the remote control and switched the TV off before turning his attention to Meredith. "What about this house Meredith?" Mark asked sitting up straight, something about the way Meredith had said it told him that this conversation was really important.

Meredith rolled her eyes at Mark, for a surgeon he wasn't really that bright in a practical sense…just like Derek. "You two live in this house" Meredith announced with a goofy grin, actually saying it out loud made Meredith feel like this was the right thing to be doing.

"Mere we've already had this conversation before" Lexie answered before Mark could say a word, "you and me living together with our husbands is just creepy".

"Husband and _fiancé, _I won't be a husband for another _nine _months" Mark muttered under his breath, but it was loud enough for all of them to hear.

Lexie chose to ignore Mark's comment; after all it wasn't like it was something she hadn't heard repeatedly in the last two weeks…_18 hours, 18 hours, all you have is 18 hours left_ Lexie chanted in her head to keep her from blurting out the truth.

"I'm not meaning together" Meredith quickly corrected Lexie, hoping that it would help shift the conversation back on to the right track.

"You're not" Derek finally piped in as he sat down on the arm rest of Meredith's chair.

"No, what I meant was that you two could _buy _my house…I mean Derek has this ridiculous large piece of land that's just been sitting there, and since I built him the house of candles it's only fair that I let him build me a house of bricks" Meredith quickly announced before she lost her nerve to make the offer.

Lexie sat there with her mouth hanging opened, that was the last thing she had expected to come from Meredith. Derek and Mark were just as equally shocked; neither of them really knew what to say. Meredith rolled her eyes, "it's really not that big of a deal you guys".

"You're finally letting Shepherd build his dream house…I'd say that's a _huge _deal" Mark answered, since he seemed to be the first one to find his voice again.

"Mere" Derek quickly whispered, with a look of shock and excitement spread across his face. "Are you sure about this…I mean about selling your mom's house to Mark and Lexie?"

Meredith nodded her head with a proud grin, "Derek I haven't been surer of anything else…well besides marrying you that it is".

"But Mere it's your _mom's _house" Lexie protested, but the thought of being able to live in this particular house seemed quite appealing to her.

"Exactly Lexie, and while I loved the time that I've spent here with you all guys…I just think that if Derek and I are really going to start a life together as a married couple then it should be free from Ellis Grey" Meredith explained with a pleading look on her face for Lexie to understand.

"So you're trying to stick us with your mom's bad energy" Mark asked with a frown on his face, Lexie swatted his arm in return.

"No Mark" Meredith answered with a smile, "you and Lexie don't have a history with this house, or at least a history with this house _and _my mom. For you two this house has been nothing but good memories…so why not keep it that way. Besides I think that the only reason that I've been stalling on this whole house building business is because I still had this one…with you guys owning it, it would give me a reason to actually let Derek build this house of his" Meredith explained.

Mark and Lexie looked at each other in shock, this had been the last thing either of them had been expecting from Meredith…but neither of them could deny the fact that the offered sounded rather appealing. "What about Alex and Izzie?" Lexie asked, suddenly having remembered about her best friend and Alex.

Meredith shook her head, "I've already spoken to Alex and Izzie about it…the two of them were perfectly fine with the idea. Apparently Izzie's been hinting to Alex that she has no intentions of spending the rest of her married life with us four" Meredith joked, but apparently the other three people in the room didn't get it.

"So we'd own your house" Mark asked hesitantly, making sure that he understood Meredith's offer.

"Yep and you'd have us out of your hair…well at least once the house was actually finished, I mean we'd have to crash here until the building was done" Meredith explained.

"Mere we wouldn't kick you guys out on the street" Lexie explained, hoping to reassure Meredith that they could stay as long as they wanted. It dawned on her then that she had already made up her mind, she wanted the house…she wanted _this _house.

Derek let out a faint chuckle, "sounds like Lexie's already made up her mind?" Derek commented as he wrapped his arm around Meredith's shoulders and gave her a quick squeeze.

Mark looked at Lexie and the excited look in her eyes; he then looked around the room and thought about it. Mark realised that, besides Carolyn Shepherd's house, this was the only other house that ever felt like home to him. And with that in mind Mark had finally come to a decision.

"If we're doing this then Lexie and I are going to _buy, _i.e. pay you, for the house and I won't hear any buts about it" Mark ordered Meredith before turning his attention to Derek, "and you're helping with the paint job".

Derek nodded his head with a goofy grin, "deal".

Lexie squealed jumping up and down in pure excitement as she ran to Derek and Meredith, giving them each a hug. It had all finally happened, everything had finally come into place…not only was she going to be marrying the man she loved in a little less than 18 hours but they now had the house of their dreams…the house that they would grow old in and raise their children in.

**************

_**See the review button…come on you know you want to…if you do I may just reward you with a certain wedding in the next chapter.**_


	32. Chapter 32

_**Ok, so thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story so far and here is the next chapter as promised. It took me a few re-writes but I think that I've finally managed to get it down as best as possible…hope you all enjoy.**_

**************

**Chapter 32**

"And I am done" Mark declare with a sigh of relief as he leant against the nurses station.

Derek who had been going over a chart shook his head with a smile; he subtly glanced at the clock and saw that it was 1:48pm, the smile instantly wiped off his face. Derek secretly cursed Mark because he had run late with his surgeries and now they were going to be at least twenty minutes late for the wedding.

"Uhh good for you" Derek praised Mark with a distracted look on his face, now his problem was trying to find a way to get Mark into his suit and then to his block of land without letting the cat out of the bag.

"Hey you could give me a little bit more credit here; I just preformed _three _surgeries in nine hours back to back" Mark complained with a frown, ever since they had arrived at work Derek had been acting funny.

"Look you're right and I'm sorry" Derek apologised, quickly looking at the clock again…it was 1:52pm, _shit _Derek cursed in his mind. He quickly looked around the hospital, trying to figure out a good excuse while the lecture that Izzie had given him this morning ran through the back of his mind…_"Derek Shepherd you slice into people's brains for a living…are you honestly telling me that you can't come up with __**one **__single little white lie to get Mark to his own wedding_…_work it out for yourself_"_._

"Hey why aren't you dressed yet?" Callie asked as she walked up to Derek and Mark, Izzie had asked her to stay behind at the hospital in case Derek had problems getting Mark to co-operate.

"Dressed for what?" Mark asked with frown, even though she didn't know it Callie had just confirmed Mark's suspicions that something was up.

Derek subtly glared at Callie before turning his attention to Mark, "uhh…there is a suit waiting for you in your locker…go put it on" Derek ordered with a nervous look.

"No…I hate wearing those stupid monkey suits and besides why do I need to put on a suit?" Mark questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Derek went blank, he didn't have an answer to that and he knew that he was killing it here…he was five seconds away from spilling the beans just to get Mark to co-operate. Why the hell Izzie had put him in charge of this he would never know, he had to wonder if Meredith had warned them that he couldn't lie even if it was to save himself. Then a sudden idea came to mind, "because I told you to…and because you slept with my wife so you owe me one" Derek answered, he had to stop himself from cringing as he used those words. Today was definitely not the day that Derek wanted to be throwing that back into Mark's face but the guy was just being so difficult.

"I thought we had let go" Mark asked with a twinge of hurt, he really had thought that he and Derek had moved on from all of the Addison stuff but apparently he was wrong.

"Do this one last thing for me and I will never bring up the whole you and Addison thing until the day I die…and I have a witness" Derek answered, pointing to Callie.

"Fine, but there better be a good reason for this" Mark agreed reluctantly as he began to stomp off towards the Attending's lockers

"Trust me there is" Derek yelled out to Mark's retreating back, smiling at his own handy work Derek turned to Callie. "What?" Derek questioned Callie who was glaring at him with daggers in her eyes.

"Seriously…you bring up Addison on today of all days" Callie asked with a hint of anger, today was Mark's wedding…today was the day that her best friend was getting married and she wasn't going to let Derek Shepherd ruin that.

Derek chuckled at Callie's reaction, "Torres relax, I only did it to get Mark in to his suit and besides the minute he figures out what's really going on he'll have completely forgotten abut it" Derek reassured Callie.

"Are you sure about that?" Callie asked hesitantly.

"Trust me, I've known Mark Sloan for twenty years…today's a big day for him and he's not going to let one little comment ruin it" Derek answered. "Now if you'll excuse me I have to go and change" Derek informed Callie as he pointed at his own scrubs.

**************

"Ok I just got off the phone with Derek and he said that they're leaving the hospital right now" Meredith announced as she walked back into the living room which had now became hair and make up central for Izzie.

"What" Izzie exclaimed in a panic with a hair clip in between her lips, "they're supposed to have already left the hospital by now…I knew I should have given groom watching duties to Hunt…he's military man, he knows how to get the job the done" Izzie muttered under her breath as she put the finishing touches to Lexie's hair.

"Hey my husband knows how to get the job done" Meredith protested.

Katie, Derek's second youngest sister, scoffed at Meredith's comment in defense of Derek. "Yeah if we're talking about brain surgeries here…the practical stuff really shouldn't be left to Derek".

"Yeah" Lizzie, Derek's third youngest sister, agreed with her sister while giggling, "that's why Derek made Emma's in-laws two hours late for their own son's wedding".

"_He did what?"_ Izzie exclaimed in a full blown panic as she spit out the hair clip.

Katie and Lizzie both began to laugh hysterically as they recalled what had happened, "Tom, Emma's husband…well his parents are from Virginia and they were driving up for the wedding. So they had called asking for directions to the Church, because they couldn't make it for the rehearsal, and I don't know how" Katie was repeating but began laughing so hard that she couldn't finish the story.

"Somehow Derek had directed Tom's parents not to the Church but all the way to East Brunswick" Lizzie quickly finished telling the rest of the story.

"That was a good day" Katie commented as she thought back fondly to the memory of it all.

"Now girls stop it, we don't need you two scaring Izzie and Lexie into thinking that Derek is going to disappear with the groom" Carolyn scolded her daughters while trying really hard not to smile at the memory of it all. Even she found it quite funny to sometimes to think back to it.

"Three years later and Derek's still insisting that it wasn't his fault, that Tom's parents took their directions and ignore his" Emma, the baby of the family, finally joined into the conversation.

"Ok you know what, no more talk about how I stupidly entrusted the welfare of the groom into the hands of the neurosurgeon/bad sense of direction guy" Izzie joked while trying really hard not to laugh at her own joke.

All the women burst out laughing uncontroablly, because as hard as they tried it was just too funny picturing Derek actually making that kind of mistake. But the laughter didn't last long when they were quickly quietened down by the sound of Lexie's cell phone.

"It's Callie" Izzie declared, scrolling through the text message that she had just sent Lexie. "They're ten minutes away from the site…she wants to know if Derek has to stall?" Izzie read out loud, instantly shifting into weeding planner mode.

Quickly throwing Lexie's phone onto the couch Izzie turned to the six women in the room with her serious wedding look and marched towards the front door, "ok people its show time…Alex and Dr. Hunt are waiting outside in theirs cars…so let's move it people, move it, move it" Izzie ordered as she stood in the door way holding the front door opened.

As the women began to walk out of the living in a line Izzie noticed that Lexie hadn't budged from her seat, "come on Lexie…there can't be a wedding without the bride" Izzie chanted out in excitement, but that still didn't seem to get her attention.

"Lexie…" Meredith softly called out as she made her way over to her sister and crouched down beside her, "if you don't want to do this it's not too late you know…we can have Derek swing the car back around and Mark won't even know what happened" Meredith offered with a faint smile.

As happy as she was to be seeing Lexie actually marry Mark Sloan it was her duty as the big sister to make sure that this was really what Lexie wanted. To reassure Lexie that it was ok if she couldn't go through with this like she had planned.

Izzie quietly made her way over to the other side of Lexie and crouched down beside her as well; reaching out Izzie grabbed a hold of Lexie's left hand and gave it a squeeze which seemed to get her attention. "Mere's right Lexie…if you don't want to marry Mark today then you don't have to, you do this when _you're ready_ to do this" Izzie offered with a sympathetic smile. "Lexie no one's going to think less of you for backing out" Izzie went on to explain, looking at Meredith for support.

Meredith sat there nodding her head, "Izzie's right Lex, this is your day and you get to do what ever you want".

"What are they doing?" Katie asked Carolyn with a concerned look on her face from outside the hallway.

"Looks like they're trying to talk Lexie out of marrying Mark" Emma answered with a remorseful look on her face.

"Well I guess if she's running it's better she does it now while Mark's clueless about everything rather than doing at the alter" Lizzie added, a twinge of sympathy for Mark hitting her.

"Will you three gloom and dooms go and wait in the car while I take care of this" Carolyn ordered with a scowl on her face while pointing at the front door. She was going to fix this, because there was no way that she was going to let Lexie do to Mark what Addison had done to him. Only this would be so much worse than that because Mark had made a commitment to this woman that he had never made to anyone else.

"Lexie" Carolyn softly called out as she walked over to the three women, Carolyn draped her arm around Lexie's shoulders and guided her out of her seat and over to the couch. "Now listen to me sweetheart, it's perfectly normal for you to be having second thoughts about all of this…I mean this is a big deal for you, it's the first day of the rest of your life with Mark" Carolyn explained with a sweet smile. But the next part pained her to say out loud to Lexie, she would never forgive herself if Mark found out about this, "but if you want out…"

"Woah, woah, I don't want out" Lexie quickly jumped in as she shook her head in protest.

"You don't…then what are you freaking out about?" Izzie asked hesitantly with a frown, trying to figure out what she was missing.

Lexie froze for a moment while she tried to put all her thoughts together, things had seemed to fly by her this morning that she hadn't really given herself the chance to let it all fully sink in. "I'm not freaking out bout getting married, I _want _to marry Mark…it's just that this morning I never really had a chance to process the fact that it's finally here, and that in a little less than an hour people are actually going to be calling me Lexie Sloan" Lexie explained with a big goofy grin.

Izzie, Meredith and Carolyn all let out a sigh of relief together because none of them wanted to be the one to have to tell Mark that Lexie ran out on their wedding. "Isobel" Carolyn addressed Izzie by her full name just like a mother would, "I believe that my daughters are waiting in the car…why don't you go with them and start heading up to the big event" Carolyn politely ordered Izzie.

"Umm, I don't know…" Izzie began to stutter, she really didn't like the idea of leaving Lexie alone with only a few minutes till the wedding.

"Oh go on well be right behind you" Carolyn reassured Izzie with a smile, "there's just something that I need to talk to Lexie about" Carolyn explained.

"If it's the sex talk then you really don't have anything to worry about it" Meredith quickly herd herself saying before she could even stop it, all three women looked at her as though she had just grown another head. "And I have no idea why I even said that" Meredith muttered with a sheepish look on her face.

"Well thankyou any way for that delight piece of information, but I am well aware of the fact that my son is far from being a virgin" Carolyn answered awkwardly, trying really hard not to laugh at her own joke.

"Ha" Izzie exclaimed as she began clapping her hands and laughing, "that is the funniest thing I have ever heard…I mean seriously the words Mark Sloan and virgin probably haven't belonged in the same sentence since he was twelve" Izzie joked but was met with silence. "Ok I'm just gonna go now" Izzie quickly announced before leaving the room.

"I worry about that girl" Carolyn announced as she kept looking at the door that Izzie had just walk through.

"We all do" Lexie answered with a smile on her face.

Carolyn reached out for her purse which was sitting on the coffee table, "now Lexie there's something I want you to have and it would mean the world to me if you would wear this" Carolyn explained as she finally pulled her hand out which was now holding a string of white pearls.

In awe of the pearls dangling from Carolyn's hand Lexie slowly reached out for them, "they're real" Carolyn quickly explained as Lexie took them from her.

"Jonathon, Derek's father, gave these to me on our wedding day…it's sort of become a tradition that the Shepherd women wear them on their wedding day. Nancy, Katherine, Elizabeth and Emma have all worn them…and Meredith _would _have worn them, but that's an entirely different matter for a different day" Carolyn explained giving Meredith a look to tell her that she wasn't going to let what they had done go. "So it would mean the world to me if you would wear them" Carolyn repeated with a hopeful look on her face, "and I swear to you that they haven't been anywhere near Addison Montgomery's neck" Carolyn joked with a sweet smile.

Lexie smiled graciously to Carolyn, even though it hurt knowing that her mother wouldn't be here to see her get married, it made it hurt a little less knowing that Carolyn was there. "Would you?" Lexie asked Carolyn with a smile as she held the pearls up to her soon to be mother.

**************

"Ok, Torres explain to me why in the hell we're on our way to Derek's land dressed up in monkey suits and you dressed like that?" Mark asked sitting forward in the backseat.

Callie shook her head in disbelief, they had been driving around like idiots for the last 20 minutes listening to Mark whinge and moan from the backseat while they gave the bride a little more time and she was about to snap. "Mark I swear to god if you don't shut up back there I am going to climb over these seats and kick the crap out of you" Callie exclaimed in annoyance.

Before Mark even had a chance to reply to Callie's outburst Derek quickly announced that they had arrived, Callie quickly jumped out of the car…not needing to be told twice that she was officially free from babysitting duties.

As Mark began to climb out of the car he's suspicions only seemed to grow, "guy's what the hell is going on?" Mark asked with a frown after spotting the marquee tent that was standing tall in the middle of Derek's land.

Derek and Callie both choose to pretend like they hadn't heard Mark's question, and continued walking towards the marquee that they had spent all of yesterday afternoon putting together with Alex.

As they got closer and closer Mark could slowly make out the appearance of the surgical staff of Seattle Grace, all dressed up in fancy clothes and this only confused Mark even more. The Chief and Adele were off on the side talking to Bailey, while Cristina, who was surprisingly wearing a dress, was trying to pretend like she really didn't want to be there as she stood next to Arizona.

"Derek?" Mark questioned with a frown as he stood still, refusing to take another step until somebody told him what the hell was going on.

Callie shook her head in disbelief that the idiot still hadn't figured it out, "you deal with the baby, I'm going to go save my girlfriend from Yang" Callie explained before making a mad dash for freedom.

Derek took Mark by his elbow and began to guide him away from the tent, "remember how earlier I asked you to do this one more thing for me?"

"Yes" Mark answered reluctantly.

"Well I need you to do one more thing for me, again…stop asking questions, go inside that tent and stand up in front of everyone while you pretend like you know exactly what's going on" Derek ordered Mark with a faint smile, no one had actually told him what to do once he got Mark there.

"But I don't know what's going on?" Mark protested with a scowl.

"Just pretend" Derek exclaimed in frustration, "why are you choosing today of all days to be difficult?" Derek questioned.

"What are you talking about, I'm always difficult" Mark answered back with an evil smirk on his face.

Just as Derek was about to answer he was cut off by the sound of tyres crunching against gravel.

Everyone immediately turned their attention towards the two cars that had just arrived, Alex quickly climbed out of the car and ran around to the other side so he could hold the door open as Izzie, Katie, Lizzie and Emma climbed out of the car.

Mark looked back and forth between Derek and his sisters, "Derek what the hell are your sisters doing here…better yet what the hell are any of us doing here?" Mark asked in a whisper through gritted teeth, he didn't want to make a scene. But he was really starting to get pissed off with all the secrecy and Derek's lack of explanations.

Mark opened his mouth about to say something when saw the back door of the second car open, it wasn't long before Mark saw Carolyn Shepherd getting out of the car with Meredith right behind her. Mark furrowed his brows in utter confusion when he suddenly felt Derek slap him on the back, "it's show time" Derek announced as he guided Mark towards the marquee.

"Let's move it people" Izzie cried out, trying really hard not to smile at Mark.

Mark sighed in defeat, realising that the only way he was going to get any answers was by playing along so he slowly began to do as Izzie asked. But suddenly he saw movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to see what it was, Mark froze as he saw Owen helping Lexie get out of the car, Mark grabbed onto Derek's arm so tight that he thought he might actually break it.

"Mark that's my scalpel arm" Derek protested while trying to wriggle out of Mark's grasp.

"Derek if you don't tell me what the hell is going on I'll _break _that scalpel hand of yours" Mark threatened through gritted teeth.

Derek shook his head with a faint smile, "why don't you go and ask her" Derek suggested pointing at Lexie who was now standing by the car with Izzie, dressed in white.

For a split second Mark forgot how to walk, how to talk…hell he even forgot how to breathe as he took in the way Lexie looked. To Mark she looked like the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, wearing a simple white laced dress that was strapless and her hair in a bun. Mark also couldn't help but notice that she was wearing a string of white pearls that looked exactly like the ones that Carolyn owned.

"Well don't just stand there" Derek joked with smile as he shoved Mark in Lexie's direction.

His legs felt like lead as he began slowly walking towards Lexie while his eyes kept darting around his surroundings, the marquee, all the surgical staff…Derek's sisters and Carolyn…Carolyn's pearls. It was at that moment that it finally dawned on Mark what was going on; while he had been acting like a little kid Lexie had been secretly planning a wedding.

"Izz give us a sec" Lexie quickly asked Izzie as Mark stoped only a few inches away from them.

Izzie nodded her head with a faint smile on her face; she quickly walked up to Mark and kissed him on the cheek, "congratulations" Izzie offered Mark before walking away. The secret was out now so it wouldn't make a difference if she gave them her best wishes before everyone else did.

Lexie watched Izzie as she ushered everyone inside the marquee so that the bride and groom could have a moment of privacy. Lexie was so grateful for Izzie; she would never have been able to do any of this without her.

"Little Grey what did you do?" Mark asked with a slight frown, he was torn between being completely excited because he was about to get everything he wanted and completely infuriated because Lexie had lied to him.

"You do realise that's the last time that you ever get to call me that" Lexie joked, hoping it would ease some of the tension.

Mark shook his head, "Lexie what are you doing?" Mark questioned again, it was the same voice he had used when he had asked her that exact same question the time she had striped in front of him.

"What does it look like silly, we're getting married" Lexie answered softly with a sweet smile, trying to hold back the pit of nerves that were eating away at her stomach.

"No, not like this" Mark protested as he shook his head in disbelief, wondering why in the hell she would sacrifice her dream wedding for this.

"Mark…" Lexie whispered, trying really hard not to show how much it had hurt to hear those words. "You do want to marry me don't you?" Lexie asked with a shaky voice, not really sure that she wanted to know the answer.

"Lexie" Mark called out as he stepped forward and cupped her face in his hands before giving her a soft kiss on the lips. "Of course I want to marry you…but I want you to have your dream…" Mark began to explain but was cut off by Lexie as she pressed her lips hard against Mark's.

Reluctantly Lexie pulled away and looked Mark in the eyes, "don't tell me that this isn't what I want or that this isn't the dream because it is Mark. I don't need a Church or the big white dress or 200 people…those things aren't the dream, you're the dream. Standing in front of our friends and family as Father Matthew calls us husband and wife, sharing a life together, starting a family and growing old together…that's the dream. It's not about the wedding Mark, it's about the part that comes after and besides this is _our _wedding not mine…and I know that you would prefer this than a church any day of the week".

Mark was speechless; he really didn't know what to say to that as he watched the woman he loves sacrifice her biggest day for him. "I don't want you waking up from 5 or ten years from now regretting how this all happened" Mark explained in a shaky voice.

Lexie let out a soft giggle as she ran her fingers along the scruff of Mark's beard, "I could never regret anything I do with you Mark Sloan…now do you think you could find it in you to marry me today?" Lexie asked with a cheeky smile, hoping and praying that the answer was yes.

"Are you sure about this?" Mark questioned once again, there was a small part of his mind that was nagging him that this was all wrong.

"Yes" Lexie answered curtly just as Bailey appeared out of nowhere.

"Are you two ready, because I have a one and half year old getting a bit restless" Bailey questioned with an amused smile. She could see that Mark was scared out his mind, but she also knew that this would be a breeze for Mark Sloan…the man had nothing to worry about.

"We're ready" Lexie answered with a smile as she turned Mark around and pushed him towards the marquee.

**************

Mark nervously made his way down the aisle of the marquee towards Derek and the priest.

"Ahh, you must be the groom…Mark Sloan" Father Matthew greeted Mark as he held his hand out.

"Father" Mark greeted him as he shook the priest's hand then took his place next to Derek.

"What happened to you, you used to suck at lying" Mark hissed at Derek, "I'm never going to believe a thing you say again" Mark threatened but they both knew that it was a lie.

"Just enjoy the ride" Derek suggested with a proud grin as he slapped Mark on the shoulder.

Mark shook his head as he took in everything around him, the Marquee itself had fairy lights dangling from its roof while candles on black iron stands surrounded them around the tent. The ground which was the aisle itself was covered in a white carpet which had yellow roses scattered on the floor…as far as Mark was concerned this couldn't have been planned any better even if he had known about it.

Mark couldn't help but notice the proud, beaming smile that was coming not only from Carolyn but also from the women that he had come to consider as his sisters, to have them here as well meant more to Mark then words could describe.

Standing there now, seeing all the trouble that Lexie had gone to in putting this altogether just for him and the smile on her face was all the reassurance Mark needed that this was the right thing…that this was exactly what Lexie wanted.

Izzie slowly began to make her decent down the aisle wearing a simple yellow dress to match the yellow roses she was holding and her yellow scarf, with Alex by her side. As Alex escorted Izzie up to the alter he gave her a soft kiss on the cheek before taking his seat next to Meredith.

Little Tuck then began walking down the aisle as fast his little legs would let him while holding onto his mother's hand. He was the most adorable little page boy anyone had ever seen wearing a mini grey suit and black shirt just like Mark's, with a white pillow in the other hand which had both wedding rings tied to it.

As they reached the end of the aisle Derek happily took Tuck's hand that Miranda was holding and led him towards Mark so that he was now standing between the two them.

Everyone giggled and laughed as Tuck stood there in his little suit, stairing back and forth up at the two giants that towered over him.

Suddenly the sound of a violinist in the back corner playing Telemann's Viola Concerto Largo caught Mark's attention and then his eyes were drawn to the entrance of the marquee.

In that split second Mark forgot how to breathe, Lexie was literally a vision in white as she began to walk down the aisle with Owen by her side. Mark could feel himself beaming with pride as he realised that in less than a few minutes he would calling Lexie his wife. Mark was a combination of excitement and nerves, there was a part of Mark that was terrified he'd screw things up and say the wrong thing.

As Owen held Lexie's hand out for Mark to take she couldn't help but beam a smile at him, she could see his nerves were getting the better of him but she had complete faith in Mark. The wedding had been everything she had imagined it would be and better and it was all because of Izzie.

Mark and Lexie both let out a sigh of relief as they turned to face each other, and with a smile Father Matthew began.

"Mark and Lexie in presenting yourselves here today to be joined in marriage, you perform an act of faith. This faith can grow and develop and last, but only if you both decide to make it so. A lasting and growing love is not guaranteed by any ritual" Father Matthew declared to everyone there.

"Establish that your love will never be blotted out by the common nor obscured by the ordinary of life. Faults will surface where now you find comfort, and admiration can be shattered by the routine of daily life. Stand fast in that hope and confidence, having faith in your shared destiny just as strongly as you have faith in yourselves and in one another today. Only with this spirit can you forge a union that will strengthen and endure all the days of your lives" Father Matthew spoke before turning to Derek, "can we please have the rings".

And on cue Tuck took a step forward and held the little white pillow up to Mark, with a little happy grin on his face.

Mark shook his head as he chuckled, "I'd be careful buddy, that smile can be dangerous" Mark commented with a smile of his own as he bent down to untie the rings.

"Mark repeat after me" Father Matthew ordered Mark.

"I, Mark, take you, Lexie, as my friend and love, beside me and apart of me, in laughter and in tears, in conflict and tranquillity, asking that you be no other than yourself, loving, what I know of you, trusting what I do not know yet, in all the ways that life may find us" Mark repeated as he carefully slipped Lexie's wedding ring onto her finger.

Then Lexie repeated the same words, trying hard not to cry, "I, Lexie, take you, Mark, as my friend and love, beside me and apart of me, in laughter and in tears, in conflict and tranquillity, asking that you be no other than yourself, loving, what I know of you, trusting what I do not know yet, in all the ways that life may find us" Lexie softy repeated, as she also slipped Mark's wedding ring on his finger, she couldn't believe that this was actually happening.

Father Matthew beamed with pride at the words that had been spoken by the two of them, and just as he was about to pronounce them husband and wife Mark quickly took a step forward and softly gave Lexie a kiss on the lips.

Derek tried not to laugh as he taped Mark on the shoulder, "Father Matthew hasn't gotten up to that part yet" Derek announced to Mark while everyone else laughed at the way the groom was behaving.

Mark reluctantly pulled away, "just getting a bit of practice in" Mark explained with a smirk on his face.

"Trust me…you don't need any more practice" Derek muttered as he took a step back, "sorry Father" Derek quickly apologised seeing the look on Father Matthew's face.

Father Matthew shook his head, choosing to ignore Derek's latter comment before returning to the ceremony at hand. "With this statement of love and trust, which we have just heard, I now wish to present Mark and Lexie as husband and wife" Father Matthew happily declared.

Mark felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest as his heard those words being declared, he felt like could actually breath properly, "Mrs. Sloan" Mark quietly greeted Lexie with a smirk. Mark then walked forward and bent his knees slightly so that he was at Lexie's level as he softly kissed his wife. The two of them were surrounded in their own little bubble that neither of them could hear the cheering and clapping in congratulations of their friends and family.

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_**See the review button…come on you know you want to…**_


	33. Chapter 33

_**Ok, so thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story so far and here is the next chapter…hope you all enjoy.**_

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**Chapter 33**

Izzie looked around the Emerald City Bar and was pretty pleased with the end result, the bar had been decorated with white and yellow streamers and balloons by Meredith, Cristina and Joe…who had been a god send as far as Izzie and Lexie were concerned.

The man had been more than happy to close the bar to the general public for the night once it was explained _why _they actually needed it.

And while only the people closest to Mark and Lexie had been invited to the wedding ceremony, Izzie had made sure to let the rest of the surgical floor know that they were more than welcome to joined them in the celebrating at Joe's.

Both Izzie and Lexie had to stop themselves from laughing at the face Mark made when he saw the interns wondering around the bar, but luckily for them Mark chose to shrug it off and just pretended like they weren't even there.

Everything had gone according to plan and Izzie couldn't have been more proud of it all, in less than three weeks she had been able to put together a wedding that had made her best friend, because she really did consider Lexie to be that, completely happy. It was then that Izzie suddenly remembered a certain deal that said best friend had made with her.

"Come on McDreamy you owe me a dance" Izzie announced as she stood beside Derek holding out her hand.

"Do I now?" Derek asked while trying really hard not to laugh at Izzie and the smile that hadn't left her face since the moment Father Matthew had started the ceremony.

"Yep" Izzie answered confidently while nodding her head, "It was part of the deal Lexie made in order to get me to be her maid of honour/wedding planner" Izzie explained casually.

Derek shook his head in mock disbelief and turned to Lexie, "So now I'm just a piece of meat used as a bargaining tool to you aren't I?"

"Yep" Lexie answered with an evil smile, she turned to Meredith expecting to hear her sister come to Derek's defence, but Meredith was too busy laughing.

"Derek Christopher 'McDreamy' Shepherd you owe me a dance…so get up and be a gentleman or I'm going to tell your mother on you" Izzie threatened with a playful glare.

"Well we certainly don't want that do we" Derek replied with a grin, he took Izzie's hand and lead her to the makeshift dance floor inside Joe's bar.

It was only after knowing that Derek was out of ear shot that Mark, Lexie and Meredith all burst out laughing in hysterics at the way Izzie had suckered Derek into dancing.

"Well I'm glad that you three are having a lovely time" Carolyn spoke up, having appeared by Mark's side out of nowhere.

"Mrs. Shepherd…" Mark quickly greeted Carolyn but stoped the instant she held her hand up.

"Mark, when are you ever going to stop referring to me as Mrs. Shepherd? Mark I think of you as my son, so how about you try calling me Carolyn…or better yet, how about mom?" Carolyn asked with the sweetest smile, she was so proud of Mark and Carolyn knew that there would never be enough words to describe it to him.

Mark felt his heart stop for a split second, the woman who had practically raised, who had taught him wrong from right, was smiling at him the same way she smiled at all her other children. While Mark had always felt rejected by the way Diana had treated him throughout his life he knew that he couldn't have asked for a better replacement.

"Fine you win, _mom"_ Mark addressed Carolyn, trying to pretend as though using the word mom had really put him out.

"Finally he does as I ask of him, now how about you get up off of that chair and dance with your dear old mother" Carolyn ordered in mock seriousness.

Lexie giggled as she leant across and kissed Mark on the cheek, "I believe that your mother just gave you an order…and I have been advised by some inside sources that you _always _do as Carolyn Shepherd asks" Lexie advised Mark with a tease as she nudge her head towards Derek's sisters.

Mark shook his head in mock disbelief as he looked at Meredith, "will you look at that Meredith, not even married less than six hours and I'm already being bossed around by my mother and my _wife_" Mark announced, he couldn't help but smile as he referred to Lexie as his wife.

"You better get used to it" Meredith suggested with a smile before taking a sip of her champagne.

Mark chuckled as he rose from his seat and followed Carolyn towards the dance floor where Derek and Izzie were.

Mark took a minute to process everything that had just happened, he was married…Mark Sloan was somebody's husband and one day he'd be somebody's father. He still didn't know what he had done to get it right, but what he did know was that he was going to be grateful for it for the rest of his life.

"Hey where did you disappear to?" Carolyn asked, pulling Mark back from his thoughts.

"Huh, what" Mark questioned with a frown, not even aware that Carolyn had been saying something.

"I said where did you just drift off to?" Carolyn asked as she laughed softly at Mark's confusion.

Mark shrugged his shoulders as though it was no big deal, "I was just thinking that's all" Mark explained cryptically. It was in that moment that a thought had occurred to Mark, or more like a memory of something Carolyn had once said to him.

Taking a deep breath Mark allowed himself to ask the question that he wasn't really sure he wanted an answer to, "so is today the day?" Mark asked softly.

Carolyn furrowed her brow in Mark's direction and looked into his eyes as she thought about his question; Carolyn took a step back in shock as she saw the vulnerability in them. She had never seen this side of Mark before, Carolyn had always seen the cool and confident Mark…and even when she didn't Mark always made sure to hide his vulnerability.

But today, standing here right now in the middle of the dance floor, Mark was letting it all out. He was doing what every son did…and that was to turn to his mother for reassurance.

Carolyn gave Mark the softest and sweetest smile that she had ever mustered up before, "is today the day for what Mark?" Carolyn asked carefully.

Mark shook his head, he knew that he was being silly and that he shouldn't have even brought it up to begin with. "Just forget it, it was a stupid question any way" Mark told Carolyn trying to change the subject, but after all these year he knew to know her better then that.

"No, no, Mark you asked me a question and I want to answer it…I just need to know _what _it is that you were referring to exactly" Carolyn asked with a pleading look on her face, today was her son's day and she wanted to be able to give him anything he needed even if it was only a few comforting words.

Mark let out a sigh of defeat, "on your last visit you told me that I have this tendency to be two different people in my personal and professional life…and you told me that one day there would be only _one _Dr. Mark Sloan. So I was just curious to know if today was the day that you stopped seeing two different Mark Sloan's and only saw one instead" Mark explained sheepishly.

Carolyn smiled sweetly at the memory of their heart to heart talk and she was also deeply touched that Mark would even remember anything she had said. "I saw a strong, confident man who has his whole life ahead of him standing up at that alter today, a man that I know Jonathon would have been proud of" Carolyn answered confidently before she kissed Mark softly on the cheek, just like a mother would.

"Mark you are going to make a terrific husband, and one day an even better father" Carolyn explained taking a step back, "besides just you remember…I have eyes and ears everywhere" Carolyn playfully warned Mark as she pointed around the room.

Mark let out a soft chuckle at Carolyn's threat; Mark had known the woman long enough to know that she wasn't kidding.

"Mark I have no doubt that if you are doing something wrong that wife of yours will let you know…and if she doesn't, well you have plenty of people around you who will have no problems pulling you into line. So take a deep breath and remember that nobody is perfect, we all screw up but it's the part where we try to make things right that counts" Carolyn explained to Mark, hoping that he understood no one was expecting him to be perfect in life.

Mark really didn't know what to say to Carolyn so instead he took step a forward and gave her a hug, Mark couldn't remember the last time he had felt the hug of a mother but he did know that it wouldn't be the last.

Carolyn and Mark quickly pulled apart at the sound of something metal tapping against glass, and as they turned towards the direction of the sound Mark smiled as he saw Derek and Izzie standing in front of the bar.

Derek was about to open his mouth to speak, but quickly closed it as he felt Izzie swat him against his arm. "Uhh ladies before gentleman, didn't your mother teach you better than that" Izzie teased with a playful glare.

"Yes she did, but apparently it couldn't get through that hair of his" Carolyn called out with a wicked smile on her face.

As the entire bar burst out laughing Derek shook his head in disbelief as he pretended to be seriously hurt by his mother's comment.

"Ok, ok, you've all had your fun…some of you just remember that your only an intern" Derek warned with a smirk, he wasn't one to take things out on an intern but the new bunch didn't know that…all they knew was that Derek Shepherd had hid in the woods.

While everyone went silent and waited for Izzie and Derek, Mark weaved his way through the crowd of people in search of his wife. Mark found her standing off to the side in between Meredith and Callie as she smiled at the maid of honour and best man fondly. Mark quietly made his way up to Lexie and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder.

As Lexie felt Mark's arms wrap themselves around her she entwined her hand with Mark's left, unconsciously playing with his wedding ring.

"First off on behalf of Mark and Lexie I'd like to thank everyone for coming today" Derek announced as he held out his glass of champagne. He paused for a moment as he looked over at Mark and Lexie; Derek couldn't help but laugh at himself for worrying about his speech.

"A few weeks ago while Lexie was on my rotation she had innocently asked me if there was anything I needed, and before I could even stop myself I heard the words _'don't hurt him' _coming out of my mouth…Mark and I have always had our ups and downs, and I think everyone here knows that better than anyone else" Derek joked to which he heard a resounding chorus of laughter. "But despite that, despite all the arguments, and the lies and all the punches that were thrown, there's always been one thing that's never changed…we've always needed each other, as friends and more importantly as brothers. I've always felt this need to protect Mark from all the bad stuff in life" Derek spoke but suddenly stopped as he thought back to the talking to Callie had given him and Mark.

"But somewhere along the line Mark grew up and he didn't need me protecting him anymore, he became the man I always knew that he could be…he, uhh, he became the brother that any man would be proud to have. I've made some mistakes when it comes to my friendship with Mark, mistakes that I wish I could take back…but then I look at these two" Derek explained, looking over at Mark and Lexie with a fond smile, "and I realise that our mistakes make us who we are, we learn from them. And I know that not only has Mark learnt from his, but also that he wouldn't be the man he is nor would he be able to truly appreciate what it means for him to even have Lexie if it wasn't for our past mistakes. That is why I can say with the utmost confidence that not only will Mark Sloan be a terrific husband, but that we'll all be taking a few notes from Mark's pages...To Mark and Lexie, may you have a long and happy life together" Derek toasted before taking a sip of his champagne.

"To Mark and Lexie" everyone in the bar toasted along, Mark on the other hand untangled himself from Lexie and made his way over to Derek.

To hear those words coming out of Derek was something that Mark would never have imagined, in a silent understanding Mark and Derek both nodded there heads before giving each other a hug. They both knew without a shadow of a doubt that the past was really in the past, and that Addison no longer hung over their heads.

"Now my toast isn't as eloquent or as heart warming as Derek's but I am the maid of honour so nonetheless it is my duty to say a few words…which those of you who know me would know that I'm, I'm actually a woman of many words" Izzie joked and everyone laughed. "When Lexie told me about her grand scheme for a super, super, secret wedding I thought that she was completely insane…I mean who in their right mind tries to plan a wedding in three weeks, but then I also thought, hey she's marrying Mark Sloan so there really isn't much more to be said about her state of mind" Izzie recalled with a playful smile as she looked over at Lexie. "All joking aside, Mark you have an amazing wife, who is more incredible then any best friend a girl could ask for and I know that you two will be incredibly happy together because, trust me Mark, as hard as you might try to screw this up Lexie won't ever let you...so to Mark and Lexie" Izzie toasted with a warm smile.

Mark looked around the room and saw all the smiling face, as everyone broke away and began to carry on with the celebrations while Lexie, Meredith, Alex, Owen, Cristina, Callie and Arizona all walked up to the three of them at the bar.

Mark held his hand out to Lexie and pulled her towards him before turning his attention to Izzie who was standing beside him, "thank you Ste…Izzie, because we all know that none of this could have been possible without you", Mark spoke to Izzie before kissing her softly on the cheek.

Mark then turned his attention to Derek, slapping him on the back, "this is your entire fault…you planted the seed" Mark declared with a cheeky smile.

Derek nodded his head proudly; he could see the look of gratefulness in Mark's eyes. "No need for thanks, being the name sake of your first son and godfather is payment enough" Derek suggested to Mark. Everyone in their little circle broke out in a chorus of laughter at Derek's joke, Derek looked at Mark with a frown, "hey I'm not kidding here" Derek cried out, trying hard not smile.

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_**See the review button…come on you know you want to…**_


	34. Chapter 34

_**Ok, so thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story so far…sorry to be a pain again, but I've decided to skip this a few months ahead, but I will try to explain things as best I can and don't forget to let me know what you think.**_

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**Chapter 34**

"I'm going to kill Derek Shepherd" Lexie declared as she slid into one of the empty seats opposite Izzie in the cafeteria.

Izzie giggled as she saw Lexie pout and rest her head against the side of the table, while she could see that her best friend was miserable she couldn't help but think about how great life was.

It had been three months since she nearly died and since then both Dr. Sweender and Derek had happily declared that she was in remission and cancer free, and it didn't take her long to get back to work.

On top of that, Mark and Derek had finally found a way to save George and while his recover was coming along slower than he would have like it to he _was _getting better every day…yep life was great.

"I'm glad that you can take comfort in my misery" Lexie pouted in mock anger as she briefly lifted her head so she could steal a French fry off of Izzie's plate.

The moment that Lexie's stomach had processed the fry she had to stop herself from throwing it back up, it seemed that nothing she did would make this upset stomach go away.

"Why are you killing Derek?" Izzie asked as she held another French fry out to Lexie.

Lexie solemnly shook her head and sat up straight as she held her head in her hand, "Derek just _had _to have sushi for dinner last night and my stupid sister and stupid husband had to agree with him didn't they…I spent the whole morning locked inside the bathroom throwing up and just the smell of any kind of food makes me want to barf" Lexie explained, she shivered as a wave of nausea hit her again.

"Thank god we moved out of that place" Izzie declared with excitement, as she thought about their newly acquired, two bedroom apartment, which she and Alex had bought only a few weeks ago with a fond smile.

While they had graciously accepted Mark and Lexie's offer to stay as long as they needed to Lexie had been right…three married couples in the one house had just been creepy. And they had been lucky enough to find their new home no too long after Izzie had been released from the hospital.

"Hey what are you saying about my house?" Lexie asked, trying to pretend as though she was hurt by Izzie's comment but she didn't have the energy for it.

Izzie sat in silence as she took in Lexie's appearance, the woman was about to drop dead from exhaustion…not to mention the fact that she looked green in the face from all the vomiting she had been doing this morning.

Lexie said that she only felt bad because of the sushi, but Izzie couldn't help wonder if maybe there was something else going on…because besides the vomiting, to Izzie Lexie had looked like crap for the last few _days_.

"Hey you didn't have any raw fish did you?" Izzie asked with a raised eyebrow, she was slowly forming a way that she could test her theory without freaking Lexie out.

Lexie scoffed, "its sushi Izzie…it's all raw fish" Lexie exclaimed as she thought back to the sushi with hatred.

"Well are any of the other three sick?" Izzie asked casually, hoping that Lexie wouldn't realise that Izzie was playing doctor.

"No" Lexie pouted as though saying the word had physically hurt her.

Izzie smiled faintly at her best friend before pulling Lexie out of her seat, "Izz where are we going…I was comfortable back there" Lexie whined, pointing down the hallway back towards the cafeteria.

"Uhh…we need to do a blood test" Izzie answered nervously as she kept taping at the elevator button.

"Why?" Lexie asked with a frown, too tired to even notice how off Izzie was behaving.

"Because you ate raw fish, you could have mercury poisoning and that could be the reason that you're sick" Izzie explained.

"I don't have mercury poisoning" Lexie answered flatly as Izzie pushed her onto the elevator.

"Humour me" was the only response that Izzie gave Lexie without telling her what she was really thinking.

Just as Lexie opened her mouth to speak she quickly closed it again as a wave of nausea came over her again. Lexie quickly covered her mouth with her hand as she began to furiously tap away at the button for the nearest level.

"What's wrong?" Izzie questioned with a look of serious concern on her face because she had never seen Lexie this impatient before, not to mention the fact that Lexie looked like she was about ready to literally spill her guts out.

Lexie shook her head because she knew the minute she opened her mouth she'd have no control whatsoever. Luckily the elevator doors began to open and Lexie squeezed herself through them as she began running down the hallway in search of the nearest bathroom, Izzie not far behind.

As Izzie entered the bathroom she had seen Lexie walked into not even a second ago she could hear the sounds of her throwing up, Izzie turned to lock the door before she quickly went to Lexie's side.

While holding Lexie's hair back as she continued to throw up Izzie kept moving her hand on Lexie's back in circles, hoping that it would calm her down.

It wasn't until ten minutes later that Lexie had finally finished emptying the contents of her stomach, after flushing the toilet Lexie quickly moved to the sink so she could rinse her mouth.

"What did you eat this morning?" Izzie asked; she knew that it was a stupid question because the last ten minutes had already proved to her what she had suspected…this had nothing to do with sushi.

"Just that stupid French fry of yours" Lexie answered as she turned the tap off and wiped her face with a paper towel.

"Lex…look I'm not trying to upset you or anything but…" Izzie began to say slowly but paused, she didn't want to freak Lexie out but she knew that the question needed to be asked.

"But what?" Lexie asked with frown, her gut telling her where Izzie was going with this conversation…but she wasn't sure she was ready to have it.

"Are you pregnant?" Izzie blurted out before she lost the nerve to do it.

Lexie froze as the words lingered around them, _pregnant…was she pregnant_? Lexie had to try not to scoff at that question because in reality that was the million dollar question. "I don't know" Lexie answered sheepishly, trying not to think about how much her entire body ached.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Izzie questioned with a look of disbelief on her face.

"I mean there is a very good possibility that I may be pregnant but I'm not sure that I can handle it if I was right now…so I've been avoiding it. Today was the first the day that I actually have thrown up so it was a hell of a lot more easier telling Mark that it was because of the sushi rather than telling him that it was because of the possibility I could be having his baby" Lexie exclaimed in anger, her hand instantly flying up to her mouth again as another wave of nausea hit her.

Izzie's demeanour instantly softened the moment she saw the fear and the uncertainty in her eyes, "Lexie you have to find out one way or another…you have to know" Izzie explained to Lexie as she wrapped a comforting arm around Lexie's shoulders.

"I know" Lexie whispered as she took a deep breath, this had been the first day that she had really let herself process the possibility of it all. "It's just…I'm scared" Lexie finally explained, trying really hard not to cry.

"Of what" Izzie asked softly and waited patiently for Lexie to answer, she knew what her best friend was going through…after all she had been there once before. Whether you're a single teenage girl or a married adult it's never easy trying to process the fact that you could be carrying a life inside of you.

"Of everything…of Mark not being ready for this; of the possibility that I could be a horrible mother, that there is _no way in hell _that I can juggle being an Intern _and _a mom at the same time. But most of all I'm scared that…what if I am pregnant and something happens, that if something happens to me or to the baby? I saw what Eric and Molly went through, and I don't think Mark and I could go through something like that" Lexie explained as silent sobs trickled down the side of her cheeks.

"First of all _if _you are pregnant being an intern won't be an issue because you'll be a Resident before this baby is even born…as for Mark, trust me when I tell you that Mark Sloan will be an amazing father and that he's more than ready for this" Izzie explained comfortingly as she stepped in front of Lexie.

Izzie placed her hands on top of Lexie's shoulders and gently shook her, "and as for this stuff about something happening to you or the baby...every pregnant woman worry's about that, you're not the first and you sure as hell won't be the last. And god forbid if something was to happen to you or the baby, you and Mark would get through it…because if I can beat cancer then you two _can _have a baby" Izzie answered, trying to reassure Lexie.

"So how do you feel about sticking needles in your best friend's arm?" Lexie joked, hoping that it would ease some of the tension in the room.

"It's a beautiful day to stick a needle in your arm" Izzie declared with a smile as she guided Lexie towards the door.

"You need to stop hanging around Derek" Lexie commented with a grin, feeling a little bit better and a little more hopeful about things.

**************

Lexie kept drumming her fingers against the dining table while her eyes kept reading and re-reading the pathology report that was sitting in front of her…it was in black and white and she couldn't ignore it anymore, she had to face the fact that she was pregnant.

When she had gotten the results back a part of her wanted to run up and down the corridors of the hospital as she shouted it off the top of her lungs, but then there was a part of her that wanted to crawl into a rock for the next nine months and hide.

Sure she and Mark had talked about having a family, but Lexie was pretty sure that neither of them had meant within three months of getting married. Mark was the biggest issue hanging over her head.

Lexie laid her hand on top of her stomach, now knowing fully well that there was a baby inside of her that was part her and part Mark; she couldn't help but let out a faint smile at the thought of that.

Lexie wanted to be happy about this baby; she wanted to just say 'screw it' and throw caution to the wind…to just let nature take its course. But Lexie knew that she couldn't do that, she couldn't do any of this if she didn't have Mark's full support.

Without even thinking Lexie scrunched the piece of paper up and shoved it in her bag as she heard her name being called out, "in here" Lexie yelled out in response to Mark's call.

"Hey" Mark greeted her with a faint smile as he kissed her on the cheek, "Bailey told me that you came home early because you were still sick. Is the sushi still playing up on you?" Mark asked with a look of concern clearly visible on his face.

"Sort of" Lexie answered nervously as she quickly got up from her chair and walked over to Mark, wrapping her arms around his waist Lexie buried her face in his chest.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" Mark asked as he began to run his fingers through her hair, because he knew that Lexie liked it when he did that whenever she was upset.

Lexie shook her head against Mark's chest while she tried to find the best way to tell him. When she had first come home Lexie had considered the option of stalling…to just not say anything until it became absolutely necessary.

But Lexie instantly scratched that idea, she knew that the moment Mark figured it out he'd feel like she had purposely kept it from him because he'd be a terrible father. Whether or not Mark would make a terrific father wasn't the problem, the problem was whether or not he was ready to do it right _now_.

Lexie reluctantly pulled away from Mark and looked into his eyes, those big blue eyes that she had fallen in love with and Lexie couldn't help but smile at the idea of having a little boy with Mark's eyes. "I hope he has your eyes" Lexie mumbled into Mark's chest without even thinking, she hadn't meant for it to come out.

Mark froze as he frowned at his wife, "you hope _who _has my eyes?" Mark asked hesitantly, as he repeated the words in his head the pieces were suddenly falling into place. Lexie's vomiting, her being constantly tired and her moodiness…it all fit, but Mark didn't want to let himself get too excited at the possibility of it if it was only going to lead to disappointment.

Lexie froze, "what?" she asked nervously as she began to pull away from Mark.

Mark quickly grabbed Lexie by her hips, trapping her in her spot. "You said I hope he has your eyes, who's he?" Mark asked again, he could feel his heart racing as he waited her to answer.

Lexie let out a sigh of defeat, this wasn't how she wanted to do this but she also knew that there was no way that she could lie to him. "Ok promise me that you're not going to freak out on me because I'm already doing that…what I need is for you to be the one that has it all together right now" Lexie explained.

"Unless you're about to tell me that you want a divorce I really can't think of anything else that would freak me out" Mark teased, hoping that his joke would ease some of the tension and distract the both of them from the bundle of nerves they both seemed to be.

Lexie took a deep breath as she braced herself for what was about to happen, "what I meant was that I hope our _son _has your eyes...or girl, really I'm content with whatever it is as long as it's happy" Lexie quickly answered, muttering it all in one huge breath before she lost the never to say it out loud.

"Did you…are you…you're saying…" Mark uttered in complete bewilderment, his brain couldn't find the words adequate enough to come close to what Lexie had just told him.

With a far away look on his face Mark let go of Lexie and began to walk over to the table so he could sit down, he still hadn't said anything.

"Mark I thought we agreed you were the one who was going to keep it together" Lexie reminded him as she crouched down beside him. He was freaking out and she really didn't know what she could say or do to make it any better.

The word _dad _kept repeating in the back of Mark's head, in a little less than nine months he was going to be a dad…there was going to be a living, breathing, human being that would need him for everything.

Mark didn't need Lexie to tell him that he was freaking out because he already knew that, this had been something that Mark had wanted for a while…and it was something that he had thought would never be possible after Addison. But now it was happening, it was actually happening…the woman he loves, the woman who had taken this huge risk on him was not only his wife but was soon going to be the mother of his child.

"_Mark!_" Lexie yelled out as she shook his knee to try and get his attention, he was really starting to scare her.

Mark quickly came back to the land of the conscious and could see the fear in Lexie's eyes, but he knew that it had nothing to do with whether she wanted this baby or whether she was ready for this…she was scared _for _him, she was scared that he wasn't ready yet.

Mark reached out and pulled Lexie up onto his lap, he instinctively wrapped his arms around Lexie and rested the palm of his left hand onto her stomach, "so you're telling me that there's a little Sloan in there?" Mark asked while trying not to cringe at Callie's reference to the once hypothetical baby that wasn't so hypothetical anymore.

"Yep there's a little peanut in there" Lexie reassured Mark as she let out a sigh of relief.

"Peanut" Mark repeated with a frown because he wasn't sure which was worse, having everyone refer to his kid as little Sloan or little peanut.

Lexie let out a giggle at Mark's reaction, "Izzie's decided to dub it little peanut because it's still too small to be a called little Sloan" Lexie explained, she smiled as Mark leant his forehead against her shoulder blade and groaned.

"Why does he have to be little anything?" Mark questioned, he could already feel the headache coming on that was to develop in the months to come over names.

But before Lexie could answer Mark they were interrupted by the sound of Derek and Meredith walking into the kitchen, Meredith stopped the minute she saw them. "Are we interrupting something?" Meredith asked, she hated interrupting people because she never liked it when others did it to her.

"I was just asking Lexie why you people feel the need to be calling my baby little Sloan or little peanut or little anything for that matter" Mark answered, beaming with pride as he saw the shocked looks on Derek and Meredith's face.

"So the sushi" Meredith asked, pointing to Lexie's stomach.

"The sushi had nothing to do with me throwing up this morning" Lexie reassured Meredith as she hugged her sister in excitement, Lexie couldn't help but feel bad that she wasn't sharing this with Molly.

"So I've been feeling bad for nothing" Derek commented as he hugged Lexie, then turned to Mark, "little Sloan" Derek announced with an evil grin on his face while slapping Mark on the back.

Mark let out a groan, it was already beginning.

"What, you'd prefer people to refer to our baby as the thing, or it, or the foetus" Lexie asked with a fond smile at her reference to their child, she went and sat back down on Mark's lap. "Besides I kind of like the name little Sloan…just imagine a mini version of you running around in about a year's time" Lexie urged Mark with a hint of excitement, he seemed to be coming on board with the idea.

"Isn't _one _of me enough for you to deal with right now, for your sanity you better hope that it's a mini version of its mother" Mark warned Lexie as he thought back to his childhood, he wasn't the most co-operative two year old.

Lexie shrugged as she softly kissed Mark on the cheek, "like I said…I really don't care what it is as long as he/she is happy and healthy" Lexie answered with a sweet smile.

Mark looked at Lexie's smile and thought about how he always caved whenever she smiled at him like that, something told him that with _two _girls smiling at him like that he'd be completely screwed because what man could resist that smile...Mark froze as that thought flowed through him.

Derek couldn't help but burst out laughing as he looked over at Mark, "the universe wouldn't have it any other way than Mark Sloan having a daughter".

Mark turned to Lexie with a frown on his face, "we're installing bars on all the windows in this house".

Lexie softly giggled as she wrapped her arms around Mark's neck and kissed him on the lips, it was her way of telling him that they'd deal with this one step at a time.

**************

_**See the review button…come on you know you want to…because I'm starting to worry that I'm dragging this story on far too long and that maybe I should just finish it really soon, I don't know…tell me what you guys think.**_


	35. Chapter 35

_**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story so far…and for reassuring me that I'm not dragging this on, so since I'm now officially on holidays from Uni so I should be able to get a lot more out, and don't forget to let me know what you think.**_

**************

**Chapter 35**

Mark was trying really hard not to smile like an idiot as he walked the corridors of Seattle Grace; Mark Sloan wasn't known for being the warm and fuzzy doctor like Derek or Robbins. He knew that if he started to act unusual that the nurses and interns would realise that something was going on.

Mark didn't want to be the one telling the whole world right now that he was going to be dad, as much as he wanted to, because he knew that Lexie would kill him.

Lexie had already stormed into his office twice this morning like a raving lunatic, going off at him for having told the Chief and Bailey the good news. Mark was about to argue with her when she had flatly told him to keep his big mouth shut and stormed out of his office…Mark still didn't have a clue what that was all about, because apparently his now _pregnant _wife was avoiding him.

As Mark was passing through the foyer of the hospital he froze as he saw the image in front of him. Miranda Bailey looked like she was about to crumble in to a million pieces as she handed her son over to his father.

Mark had seen numerous times what divorce could do to a couple, but more importantly what it did to a child to be shuffled backwards and forwards between parents.

Mark cringed as he watched Miranda and Tucker; the two of them could barely look each other in the eye let alone say a single word.

Mark still couldn't quite comprehend how a couple could wake up one day with their whole lives ahead of them and the next barely stand to be in the same room together.

As Tucker walked through the doors carrying little Tuck Mark watched Miranda as she waved goodbye to her son, rooted to her spot on the floor. Mark couldn't help but wonder if little Tuck really understood what all of it meant.

Mark knew that what he had just seen would be forever burned into his memory, so that he would have something to remind him of what he and Lexie would _never _become. Mark knew that he'd never be able to survive if he woke up one day and Lexie looked at him the same way Miranda had just looked at her husband.

Mark quietly made his way over to Bailey, standing next to her Mark could see that she was unraveling and was about to fall apart. "Not here" Mark ordered as he led her towards the nearest conference room.

Soon as Mark closed the door and shut the blinds Miranda Bailey caved as she sunk into her chair as the tears came falling down, her hands shaking.

Mark quickly went over to her and crouched down beside her as he clasped her hands to at least try and stoping the shaking, "it's ok, it's going to be ok" Mark whispered softly while he tried to reassure her with a smile. He had gotten reasonably good at this whole comforting thing and since meeting Lexie crying women didn't scare him like they used to.

Miranda shook her head, unable to say anything as the tears continued to fall. She felt like she was breaking in two and there wasn't anything she could do to stop it.

Finally the tears subsided and Bailey was able to get her breathing back to normal, she quietly pulled her hands away from Mark and wiped her eyes. "Sorry" she apologised, her cheeks turning red from embarrassment.

Mark shrugged his shoulders like it was really no big deal, "it's ok everybody…everybody has there bad days".

Miranda adamantly shook her head as she rose from her chair and began pacing the room, sadness quickly being replaced with anger. "Not me, at least not inside these hospital walls…I am _Miranda Bailey, _when I come to work I leave my problems at the door. I don't do break downs in front of the entire hospital, that's a Grey thing, I'm not a Grey…I am _Miranda Bailey_" Miranda exclaimed as she continued to pace the room.

"Dr. Bailey I think your entitled to a slip up once in a while, no one would think less of you…I don't think any less of you" Mark explained as he pointed at himself.

"It's just…it's just that Tucker is taking the little guy to visit his grandmother, and it's the first time that he'll be away from me for a whole _week _and out of state" Miranda explained, she could feel her anger being replaced with exhaustion…right now her emotions were like a rollercoaster ride and for some reason the damn fool that is Mark Sloan chose to stick himself right in the middle of it.

"You've changed" Miranda announced as she walked over to Mark and sat down beside him. "A year ago if I had done this" Miranda spoke pointing between the two of them, "if I had gone all zany on you and broke down like this you would have been running for the hills…but now…you're sitting here, telling me that everything's going to be ok, that my son won't hate me one day for not trying hard enough to make things work with his father…you've changed" Miranda declared with faint smile, she was proud of him.

"So everyone keeps telling me" Mark responded with a snug smile on his face, he knew it was self-absorbed but a part of him loved hearing people tell him that because it meant that it was true…that it wasn't something he was imagining. "And soon I'm going to be a dad, so you need to keep it together Bailey…because if you turn into a blubbering idiot then who else is going to talk me through it all and tell me when I'm screwing things up" Mark explained with a goofy grin on his face, hoping that it would cheer the woman up.

"You want advice" Miranda asked with a serious look on her face as she rose from her chair and opened the blinds again to reveal a hallway with nurses and doctors running around like mad. "My advice is to go home" Miranda offered as she turned to Mark.

"Go home" Mark repeated hesitantly with a frown on his face, he had no idea what she was talking to about.

"Exactly, I said go home…make sure that every night you go home so that you're there when it's dinner time, so that you're there when you're baby's looking for its daddy to read it a bed time story…you go home" Miranda exclaimed with a passion that Mark had never seen in her before as she pointed back to the window.

"There's always going to be dying people, the worlds never going to be short of people who need doctors…but you only get _one _chance at getting it right with your baby, you only get one chance to have those moments where you're pleading with your baby to eat it's vegetables, or where it stops you every minutes when you're reading them a story because you didn't do the silly voices…you only get one shot at those" Miranda declared as she took a step forward.

"So make sure you go home, and you make sure that you're there to eat dinner with your family, and to read him or her a bedtime story or to listen about all the fun things they did today…there are other doctors in this hospital, doctors who aren't going to resent you if you miss out on fixing a broken nose like your son will for missing out on a soccer game…you go home and when you are home, you forget about the hospital because this damn hospital isn't going anywhere, but that baby is…that beautiful baby will grow up right in front of your eyes and they won't ever forgive you for missing it…so you go home" Miranda pleaded with Mark to understand, to not make the same mistakes that she had made.

"So I go home" Mark repeated with a smile, a smile that was telling Miranda he understood exactly what she meant.

Miranda walked over to the door and stoped just as she was about to open it, "and I hope you know that just because you're wife is pregnant with _your _baby doesn't mean that you get the right to hinder her opportunity to learn. We _can _be a damn good doctor _and _a damn good mother at the same time, all we need is for you pig headed men to get out of our way" Miranda argued with a smirk before quickly leaving the room.

**************

Lexie was trying really hard not to think about how exhausted she was and how every part of her body ached, it had only been three days since her pregnancy had been confirmed yet she already felt like she had been carrying this baby around for a life time.

Lexie hated to think about how bad she was going to feel when it was closer to her due date if this was how she felt _now_. Lexie had been running around all over the place today, trying really hard not to hint at the fact that anything was different. Because there was a part of her that was still terrified that something would go wrong.

It didn't help either when you had a husband who couldn't seem to keep his big mouth shut, Lexie knew that Mark was excited…in fact he was more excited then she had actually thought he would be. But she still didn't feel comfortable telling people yet, Lexie let out a sigh because she knew it was her fault…she knew that she needed to tell Mark these things rather than just expecting him to know it already.

She was exhausted, not scratch that, exhausted couldn't even begin to describe how she was feeling and mumbled to herself about how all of this was Mark's fault as she walked tiredly into the kitchen, her plan being to grab a drink of apple juice and go straight to bed.

Only the minute Lexie entered the kitchen she stopped dead in her tracks, "what are you doing?" Lexie asked hesitantly as she inched closer towards the stove.

Mark shook his head with a smirk on his face as he continued to stir the pot, "what does it look like I'm doing?" Mark answered sarcastically while trying really hard not to roll his eyes.

"It looks like you're cooking something?" Lexie answered taking a whiff at the food, the smell coming out of the pot made Lexie's stomach rumble, reminding her that with all the running around she hadn't actually eaten lunch today.

"Score one for the genius" Mark teased while slowly and softly giving her a kiss.

Lexie let out a small moan in pure delight, she knew that her exhaustion was entirely Mark's fault but she also knew that she wouldn't have it any other way. Lexie quickly felt Mark pull away, "how do you feel about spaghetti" Mark questioned as he pointed towards her stomach.

Lexie giggled as her stomach rumbled the minute Mark had asked the question, "spaghetti sounds perfect…but you can't cook" Lexie declared with an evil smile on her face.

Mark shook his head as a devious smirk formed on his face, "says who?" he questioned as he held out a glass of apple juice for Lexie. For some strange reason apple juice seemed to be the only thing that would settle her stomach, Mark and Derek actually found it quite funny since Lexie _hated _apples.

"Uhh maybe it has to do with the fact that the entire time I have known you not once have you ever cooked a meal before" Lexie explained with a _dah _look on her face.

Mark chuckled at Lexie's comment as he passed her the glass of apple juice before going back to the dinner, "I thought that you of all people would know not to make assumptions about me" Mark spoke, taking a sip of his wine.

"It seems I haven't learnt my lesson" Lexie teased seductively leaning in towards Mark for a kiss, just as his lips were about touch hers Lexie quickly turned her head to the side and took a sip of her juice.

Mark shook his head in amusement, "now was that nice?" Mark questioned with a raised eyebrow, trying really hard not to smirk.

Lexie casually shrugged her shoulders, "that depends on whether or not you're actually going to tell me where you learnt to cook?"

Mark sighed in defeat, he had this whole plan of doing something nice to make it up to Lexie for making her mad this morning and she wanted to play twenty questions.

"You don't seriously think that mom was going to let Derek and I go all the way to Columbia University without knowing how to cook a meal?" Mark asked with a look of mock disbelief.

"I figured that the two of you had lived off take out food and home made cookies that were sent in the mail" Lexie teased.

"Sorry to shatter your opinion of us but ah…_no_, Derek and I _didn't_ live off take out and mom's special deliveries" Mark answered with a sly smile on his face.

"So what is all of this then?" Lexie questioned, pointing to the boiling sauce, and the already made table.

Mark casually shrugged his shoulders as if it wasn't really a big deal while trying to avoid eye contact, "I know how tired you've been over the last few days…and I didn't help much what with making you made this morning. So cooking you dinner is my way of saying sorry" Mark explained.

Mark slowly turned towards Lexie; "sorry" he whispered gently while finally looking her in the eyes.

Lexie was trying very hard not to cry at that exact moment, she wasn't sure whether it was because of the pure exhaustion that she felt or because of the gesture that Mark had made. But it did remind her _why _she had married this amazing man, and more importantly why they were having a baby together…there was no doubt in Lexie's mind that Mark would be an amazing father.

Lexie loved everyday she got to spend with Mark, because it was a day that she got to learn something knew about him…like today for instance, she finally learnt that Mark and Derek could in fact string a meal together if they needed to.

Lexie cupped the back of Mark's head and pushed him forward, Lexie crashed her lips against Mark's as she swept her tongue through his mouth. She couldn't help but let out a small moan as her nose tingled over the smell of Mark, she knew that she'd never get over the smell of soap and cologne mixed together.

Mark reluctantly pulled away, "I believe that's what got us in this little predicament in the first place" Mark teased with a seductive smirk.

Lexie moved back around Mark and weaved her arms around his waist, "so what are you saying…no more sex?" Lexie casually asked while running her fingers around the buttons of Mark's shirt.

Lexie tried to stifle a laugh as she felt Mark's entire body tense up, "because I have to warn you Mark…if you plan on holding out on me for the next nine months then I'm going to have to find somebody who won't" Lexie teased in a seductive whisper against his ear.

"Dinner's ready" Mark announced in a pitchy voice before quickly pulling away from Lexie, choosing to take the high road and ignore her joke.

Lexie giggled at the way Mark suddenly pulled back, she loved watching him squirm.

"Aren't we going to wait for Derek and Meredith?" Lexie questioned as she sat down at the dinner table.

"Why would we, Meredith isn't the one I'm trying to apologise to…she can get her own husband to cook her dinner" Mark declared, pretending to be put out by Lexie's suggestion. "Besides they're stuck at the house with the builder's, apparently your sister's changed her mind _again _about where she wants the master bedroom" Mark explained as he shook his head in disbelief.

"Poor Meredith" Lexie sighed with a sweet smile before taking a bite of her pasta, she paused for a second to see if her stomach would disagree with it before having any more. Lexie let out a sigh of relief as she wasn't hit with another wave of nausea.

Mark frowned at Lexie, "poor Meredith…try poor _Derek_, he's the one who's going to go insane before the house is even finished. All I can say is that I'm grateful that you didn't want a house built, because something tells me that we would have killed each other over it" Mark teased.

Lexie shrugged her shoulders as she swallowed her food; again there was no reaction to the food. "Apparently your baby likes your cooking" Lexie announced as she took another bit of the spaghetti hungrily, it had been the first thing she had eaten the last twenty-four hours that didn't come straight back up.

"My baby has good taste" Mark replied with a smug look on his face, not only for his cooking skills but also for the fact that his cooking hadn't made Lexie throw up.

Lexie chose to ignore Mark's comment because he really didn't need another boost to his ego; instead they continued to eat the dinner that Mark had cooked in comfortable silence. Mark made a mental note to thank Carolyn for forcing him to learn how to cook when he was 17.

Finally Mark had found the nerve to ask about what this morning was really about, even though he knew that it would probably get him trouble. "So are you ever going to explain to me what this morning was about?" Mark asked timidly as he continued to look down at his plate.

Lexie froze as she looked over at Mark and saw the way that he was scared to look at her; Lexie felt a wave of guilt wash over her. "Great now my husband's too scared of me to even look me in the eye" Lexie commented with a shaky voice, she was struggling to stop herself from crying.

Mark's head immediately snapped up with a look of shock, "Lexie I'm not scared of you…I just, you were really mad at me this morning and, besides too much stress isn't good for you or the baby…"

"Mark I'm scared too…in fact I'm absolutely terrified" Lexie explained with a soft smile, she knew that if they were going to survive the next nine months and then some that they needed to be completely honest with each other.

"Why?" Mark asked with a look on his face as though that had been the most ridiculous thing that he had ever heard.

"We're both doctors Mark, we both know the risks that come along with a first time pregnancy…the reason I got mad is because I don't want the entire hospital knowing that we're having a baby only for something to end up happening" Lexie spoke softly.

Mark reached out as squeezed Lexie's hand in comfort, but deep down Mark knew that it was more to comfort him then her. Just the thought of something happening to Lexie or the baby had sent a shiver down his spine, "Lexie nothing's going to happen" Mark tried to reassure her. But as he looked into her eyes Mark could see the fear and the anxiety of losing the baby.

Lexie shook her head adamantly, "you don't know that Mark…anything could happen between now and the time the baby is finally born. I saw what happened to Molly and saw what nearly losing Molly and Laura did to Eric, I couldn't live with myself if I put you through something like that" Lexie explained with a pleading look for Mark to understand.

"Didn't we agree that we were going to stop with all this morbid kind of talk a few months back huh?" Mark teased, trying really hard to lighten the mood around them. He didn't want to even face the possibility that something could go wrong and that he could lose Lexie in all of this.

Lexie shrugged her shoulders with a defeated look, "it's my mind…it just goes there" Lexie answered, looking down at her empty plate.

"Look at me" Mark ordered as he squeezed Lexie's hand, but she wouldn't look at him. "Lexie please look at me" Mark pleaded softly and that seemed to have done the trick.

Lexie slowly raised her head and looked Mark in the eyes, she could see the fear and the vulnerability written all over his face…she wasn't the only one who stood to lose something here.

"Nothing, and I repeat, nothing is going to happen to you ok…I won't let it, because _Mrs. Sloan _I am afraid that you are stuck with me until you are old and grey, knitting booties for our grandchildren" Mark explained, hoping that his little hint at the down the line part would make her smile.

"I don't know how to knit" Lexie answered Mark, trying really hard not smile at Mark's reference to grandchildren.

Mark shrugged it off like it was no big deal, "then you'll get Stevens to teach you" Mark answered as he began to collect the plates.

Lexie leant against the kitchen bench as she watched Mark clean up; she giggled wondering what all the interns would think if they knew that Mark Sloan washed dishes.

"What's so funny" Mark asked looking over his shoulder at Lexie, trying not to let out a sigh of relief at hearing her laugh.

"It's just something that Cristina had said when Meredith had told her about the baby" Lexie began to explain but stoped as she saw Mark turn around and frown at her.

"So I can't tell people about _my _baby, but big Grey get's to tell Yang about it" Mark asked with a frown, "that's just wrong".

Lexie giggled again at Mark's reaction, "well Meredith isn't my husband…I can't control what she does or what she says" Lexie explained.

Mark grabbed the tea towel that was beside him and threw it at Lexie who quickly ducked, "nobody controls Mark Sloan" Mark declared with a wicked grin on his face. Deep down they both knew how ridiculous that statement was, because they both knew that Mark would do anything that Lexie said.

"So what did Yang say exactly?" Mark asked as he turned his attention back to the dishes.

"That I ruined you…that I turned McSteamy into McDaddy and domesticated him" Lexie explained with a proud smile on her face, because there was no way that she was going to deny that.

Lexie tossed the towel over to Mark so he could wipe he hands from finishing the dishes; he had that smile on his face that Lexie knew all too well.

"So Yang thinks that McSteamy is dead and buried huh?" Mark questioned as he began to slowly make his way over to Lexie. He had to try not to laugh at the nickname that the women had given him, because in truth he and Derek found McDreamy and McSteamy quite amusing.

"Yep" Lexie nodded, she could feel her heart racing and face burning up as Mark got closer to her.

"Well then we better do something about that…we need to make sure that he keeps his game up" Mark teased with a seductive smile.

Lexie giggled as she shook her head, she was pressed up against the bench, "I thought you said that was what got us in our little predicament in the first place" Lexie asked; amused at the way Mark was behaving.

Mark didn't answer, instead he quickly captured Lexie's lips with his own as he kissed her passionately and hungrily as though it was the first time he had ever kissed her.

Mark pulled away and smile at Lexie, "what's the worse that could happen?" Mark questioned Lexie. But before Lexie could even answer him Mark heard his wife squeal in laughter as he swooped her up off of her feet and carried her towards the stairs.

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_**See the review button…come on you know you want to…**_


	36. Chapter 36

_**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story so far…this is getting ridiculous, I'm on some sort of overload here because I can't stop writing, but I hope it's up to scratch.**_

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**Chapter 36**

"Harrison" Izzie suggested before taking a bite of her sandwich.

"Donald" Meredith threw in while she munched on her salad.

Lexie shook her head giggling, trying not to choke on her own food as Izzie and Meredith continued to throw around ideas for potential baby names.

"What's the matter with three?" Cristina asked as she set her food down onto the table and slid into the empty chair next to Meredith.

While Cristina and Lexie still had a love hate understanding when it came to their Resident/Intern relationship the two were trying to put those differences a side whenever they weren't talking about medical stuff for Meredith's sake.

"Mark's pouting about the whole little Sloan and little peanut names we keep using to refer to the baby so we've decided to actually pick a name" Izzie explained, since being best friends with Lexie Izzie had given up calling Mark Dr. Sloan unless around an Intern, nurse or patient.

"Isn't it a bit soon for you to be picking baby names, you don't even know what sex it is yet" Cristina commented while trying to show a lack of interest in the subject.

Izzie shrugged as she took a swig of her water, "the way I see it we pick a name, then Mark and Lexie find out the sex…if it's the right sex we stick with the name, if it's not then we change it".

"And what if they decide they don't want to know what the sex of the baby is until it's born?" Meredith asked with a smirk, thinking that she had finally one up on Izzie.

"Then it is going to be one messed up kid when it's born" Cristina joked as she finally took a bite of her lunch.

Izzie coughed as she nearly choked on her food, "Mere their doctors, they'll be able to tell the sex of the baby the minute they look at the first sonogram that it's visible on" Izzie explained, choosing to ignore Cristina's comment.

"Then they won't be looking at any sonogram pictures" Cristina jumped in while ignoring the glare that Izzie was giving her.

Lexie shook her head with a smile, she had only been pregnant for a little less than two months now and already their family were arguing and disagreeing on things that were concerning _their _baby.

Lexie had been to her first check up last week and was given the all clear by Dr. Sorrento, personally reassuring Lexie that everything was exactly the way it should be for the moment. Of course thanks to certain nurses that worked within the hospital it also didn't take long for other staff members to learn the good news.

At first Lexie had wanted to rip said nurse to shreds for spilling the beans, whose business was it anyway whether or not she was going to be having baby.

Mark had had always been the better person out of the two of them, the one who could easily shrug off the gossip that was circulating about them. But Lexie couldn't do that…at least not this time, and especially not when it was gossip surrounding their baby. Some of the nurses and her fellow Intern's were looking at her as though she was about to give birth to Satan's offspring and it was really starting to get to her.

While Mark had no problems pretending as though it wasn't happening it was even beginning to annoy some of the other Attending's, Lexie had lost count of how many times she had walked in on Dr. Bailey, Dr. Torres or Derek giving an Intern a talking to because of a comment they had over heard them making.

It did however give Lexie piece of mind knowing that Mark had people who were watching his back, to know that he had people protecting him from all the awful rumours.

"Uhh shouldn't the McDaddy actually have a say in all of this?" Cristina asked with a raised eyebrow, her and Mark weren't exactly chummy but something told her that Sloan wouldn't appreciate Izzie trying to name his baby.

"Shouldn't I have a say in what?" Mark asked suddenly coming out of nowhere.

Izzie, Meredith and Cristina all jumped at the sound of his voice, Lexie on the other hand seemed to be unaffected by it. "Haven't I told you to stop doing that" Meredith scolded Mark as she glared at him, it seemed to have become a habit of Mark's over the last few weeks and it was really starting to piss Meredith off, she was also convinced that he was now doing it on purpose.

"Has everyone all of the sudden decided that they actually like the crap that they call food here" Alex asked as he sat down beside Izzie.

The women so engrossed with their conversation hadn't seemed to pay too much attention to the fact that practically the entire cafeteria was full of staff or visitors having lunch.

"Alex shut up and eat your lunch" Izzie ordered him before turning her attention to Cristina, "so if we're calling Mark McDaddy then what do we call Derek when Meredith has a baby?" Izzie asked with a wicked grin on her face.

Lexie burst out laughing, it was almost like Derek and Mark had this sick sense of showing up whenever somebody was talking about them, "not funny" Meredith told Lexie while she tried to hide her smile.

Derek, Owen and Mark all sat down in what seemed to be the only three seats left in the whole cafeteria.

Cristina ignored Owen who was sitting beside her and trying to tell her something as she shrugged her shoulders at Izzie, "I'll deal with that when the situation arises" she explained to Izzie.

Izzie's face lit up in excitement and began bouncing in her seat, "ooh, we can call him PuffDaddy" Izzie suggested.

Cristina scrunched her face up in horror while Meredith and Lexie began laughing like hyenas, "It's not that funny" Izzie argued as she glared at Lexie and Meredith.

"No it's not, it's a horrifying idea…and it completely ruins the whole Mc thing we have going on" Cristina told Izzie with a dead serious face.

"What the hell are they talking about?" Derek asked Mark who shrugged his shoulders and went back to eating his lunch.

"Izzie asked Yang what they're supposed to be calling you when Mere's pregnant since they're calling Sloan McDaddy" Alex explained then took a huge bite of his sandwich.

Derek's eyes bulged out of his head as he instantly turned to Meredith; Meredith quickly held a finger up. "No I'm not and don't go getting any ideas mister. You'll just have to live with being an uncle for now" Meredith explained seriously. Meredith shook her head in disbelief; they were barely surviving the construction of the house and Derek wanted to throw a baby into the mix.

"Can we please go back to what we were originally talking about?" Meredith asked, hoping that it would get Derek's mind off of the idea of them having a baby.

"Jackson" Izzie shouted out with a smile.

Lexie immediately shook her head and glared at Izzie, the last thing she was going to be doing was naming her son after the man who nearly destroyed her and Mark.

"Scott"

"Joe, the guy did close his bar down so you could have your wedding there" Izzie reasoned with a smile at Lexie, trying to make up for her slip of the tongue.

"What about Alex" Alex suggested while chewing on his food, it didn't take him long to figure out what the woman were going on about.

"First of all you're a pig and second of all there's no way in hell that three would be naming her son after _you_" Cristina told Alex with a look of disgust at the way he was devouring his food.

Mark's head quickly snapped up at the words that had come out of Cristina's mouth, "what did she say" Mark asked Derek before turning to Lexie, "what did Yang just say?"

"Why not it's a good name, not to mention the fact that Lexipedia is actually _Alex_andra…the baby would be named after both of us" Alex chimed in smugly.

Lexie shook her head as she giggled at Mark's reaction; he looked like he was about to choke on his food.

"Why are we even bothering with this, I thought you two had already settled with the fact that he was going to be called Derek" Derek asked with an evil grin as he winked at Lexie. He wasn't actually expecting them to use the name; he just liked giving Mark a hard time.

"Who said that?" Mark asked, pretending not to understand where Derek would have gotten that idea from.

"Hey I'm flexible, Christopher works for me" Derek replied with a smirk.

"Will put it in the maybe pile" Lexie told him as she took another bite of her food.

"Lexie chew" Meredith told her sister as she watched her sister scoff her food down as if she was about to starve to death.

Lexie tried to swallow some of her food while placing her hand in front of her mouth, "sorry" Lexie managed to get out as she reached over to Mark's tray of food and took his bowl of fruit.

"Hey I was eating that" Mark protested as he watched Lexie stab a fork into a piece of apple.

Lexie held her fork up glaring at the piece of apple, "yeah and I'm the one eating apples because it's what _your _baby wants…so what's your point?" Lexie asked with a glare.

Mark conceited defeat and turned back to his lunch, they had already had this argument a month ago and he really didn't feel like revisiting it again.

"Smart man" Derek praised Mark, proud of the fact that Mark was smart enough to know not to even get into that argument.

"Lexie I'm only saying this because I care about you and because you're my best friend" Izzie explained to Lexie hesitantly while looking at Mark over the top of Lexie's head.

Mark shook his head and continued to stare at his plate of food.

Izzie shook her head, "I really think that you need to slow down with all the eating, you're going to…."

"I'm going to what" Lexie retorted before shoving a couple of chips into her mouth.

"Blow up like the size of a whale" Alex blurted out loud without even thinking, the minute the words came out of his mouth Alex froze because he knew he was a dead man.

Lexie glared at Alex, and then quickly looked around at all the faces sitting around the table. "While I'm honestly touched that you're all showing such concern for my waste line" Lexie told them sarcastically, trying to control her anger and her urge to hit Alex. "I don't see any of your bodies morphing into this alien thing so that it can push out a baby in seven months…and until it does I strongly recommend that you _all _keep your opinions about my eating habits to yourself" Lexie exclaimed, exasperated at all of them.

"Lexie I don't…" Mark began to say but quickly stoped with the look she gave him, if looks could kill Mark Sloan would be a dead man.

Lexie rose from her chair and stormed off, she quickly came back to collect her uneaten food and stole Izzie's chocolate pudding before running off to hide…not really in the mood to be around any of them.

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Lexie hid inside the stairwell of the maternity floor, she had no idea what on earth had brought there but what she did know was that right now she needed to be as far away as possible from the rest of the surgical staff.

Lexie sat on the stairs scrapping the bottom of her pudding cup, while she knew that Izzie and Meredith hadn't purposely set out to be mean to her or to poke fun at her it didn't make it hurt any less. She didn't need any of them telling her that she was eating alot; she already knew that and the four pounds that she had put on in the last month proved that.

It also didn't help that her emotions had been going up and down like a rollercoaster that it was becoming ridiculous, Lexie was convinced that any minute now Mark was going to pack his bags and move into Derek's trailer…because it was a hell of a lot easier then dealing with her.

It didn't make sense to Lexie, she was only two months along yet her eating habits and her emotions were of a woman who was at least five months. She really needed to talk to Dr. Sorrento about that during her next check up Lexie thought to herself as she stood up and began to make her way back down to the surgical floor.

"Lexie" she heard her name being called out just as she walked out of the stairwell, she knew perfectly well who it was but chose to ignore him and kept walking.

"Lexie wait up" Mark called out again as he began to run so he could catch up to her.

"Hey, will you wait a minute" Mark cried out with a frown as he grabbed Lexie's arm to get her to stop walking.

"What!" Lexie exclaimed in a fury at Mark, just when she thought she had her emotions under control Mark had to go and screw everything up.

"Don't you what me" Mark fired back as he stood defensively in front of her with his arms crossed over his chest.

"If I was you I wouldn't be taking that kind of attitude with me" Lexie warned Mark with a dangerous tone.

"What the hell did I do?" Mark asked as he threw his hands up in the air in complete bewilderment, trying to figure out what was going on inside Lexie's head was anyone's guess.

"Nothing…you didn't _do _anything and that's the problem" Lexie cried out, yanking her arm away from Mark and walking away.

Mark quickly ran out in front of Lexie so that he could block her off, "Lex they weren't trying to make fun of you" Mark tried to reason with her.

Lexie furiously pushed her hands against Mark's chest but considering the size difference Mark didn't really move that far, but that wasn't the point…the point was that Lexie was furious _at _Mark. "I'm not mad at them _Dr. Sloan_, I'm furious at my brain dead _husband _who sat there and didn't say one single word to _defend_ me while the others decided to stage an intervention about my eating habits. My husband who is the _reason _that I'm eating so much and the reason that in seven months I'm going to push something the size of a bowling ball out of me…but I guess that it really is unreasonable of me to expect that from _you_" Lexie yelled out.

"I'm…"

"Don't even bother; too little to late Sloan" Lexie spat at Mark before turning on her heel and walking away.

Lexie only managed to get about three steps away from Mark before she quickly had to lean against the wall as she hunched over in pain as a sharp stabbing sensation shot through her stomach.

"Oh god" Lexie squeaked, the pain and fear making it hard for her to speak.

"Lexie" Mark cried out in panic as he quickly ran to her side.

Lexie squeezed her eyes tight and tried to concentrate on her breathing while covering her stomach with her hand protectively, praying to god that she wasn't about to lose the baby.

"Lexie talk to me" Mark demanded as he draped one arm over her shoulders while his other hand went to grip hers which was resting on her stomach.

Lexie squeezed Mark's hand tightly; she couldn't bring herself to say anything because she was terrified that the slightest movement would do something to the baby.

"What's wrong?" Callie asked in worry, she had seen the way the two of them were standing and instantly ran over.

"Page Dr. Sorrento now" Mark ordered Callie, looking at her for five seconds before turning his attention back to Lexie who still had her eyes closed.

Callie didn't need to be told twice what to do, and without asking any other questions she quickly ran to the nurses' station to page Dr. Sorrento.

"Lexie can you tell me what's wrong" Mark asked with a shaky voice, fear gripping him.

Lexie silently shook her head; it was the only part of her body that she wasn't scared of moving right now.

"Dr. Sorrento's on her way" Callie notified Mark with a slight sigh of relief, "can I get her anything?" Callie asked with a concerned look on her face.

"I don't know, she won't tell me anything" Mark explained to Callie, panic clearly evident in his voice.

"Lexie its Dr. Torres, do you think you can move for me…do you think you can walk over to the exam room across the hall?" Callie asked as she softly grasped Lexie's hand which she had been using to prop herself up against the wall.

Lexie nodded her head as she felt the pain beginning to subside a little bit, it was a fleeting moment of relief until Lexie began to panic about what that meant.

Mark quickly picked Lexie up and carried her over across the hall to the exam room and gently laid her down on the bed, he could see the fear in Lexie's eyes. "Ok I'll make a deal with you buddy" Mark uttered as he looked down at Lexie's stomach, "you behave yourself for the next seven months and I promise you that I won't let anyone make anymore fun of your mommy or say anything mean to her" Mark pleaded while rubbing Lexie's stomach.

Lexie turned her head to look at Mark and smiled faintly at him, "I don't think it works that easy" Lexie informed him as she reached out to softly stroke his hair.

"I'll just leave you two to it" Callie told them before quietly tip toeing out of the room and closing the door behind her.

"Mark…" Lexie managed to get out in a hoarse voice, but she couldn't say anything past that as fear continued to eat away at her.

"It's going go to be ok" Mark reassured her, bending down to gently kiss her on the lips.

Mark could see the fear in Lexie's eyes and knew that he had to hold it together; he had to be the strong one here. Lexie needed him and he wouldn't be any help if he fell to pieces on her, but it still didn't mean that he wasn't terrified on the inside.

Mark wasn't the type of man to pray, he was the last man you would find inside a church but he at that very moment Mark Sloan was praying like hell that this wasn't god's way of punishing him.

"Dr. Grey, Dr. Sloan" Dr. Sorrento greeted them with a smile as she entered the room. "Now Dr. Grey I've been told that a certain someone is being a bit difficult this afternoon" Dr. Sorrento joked, hoping that it would help calm Lexie down.

"He takes after his father" Lexie informed Dr. Sorrento with an exhausted smile, all of the sudden she felt like she could sleep for weeks.

"So I see we've decided that it's a boy then" Dr. Sorrento questioned looking back and forth at Mark and Lexie.

Lexie shrugged her shoulders, "my sister and best friend were trying to pick out baby names this morning and they seemed to be quite content with only concentrating on boys".

Dr. Sorrento laughed softly at Lexie before turning to Mark, "Dr. Sloan if you want to wait outside…"

Mark immediately shook his head, "I'm not going anywhere" he answered stubbornly as he squeezed Lexie's hand.

"Of course" Dr. Sorrento agreed and stepped closer to Lexie so she could examine her. "Dr. Grey can you tell me exactly what happened" Dr. Sorrento asked as she began to press down on Lexie's stomach.

"It's my fault" Mark quickly jumped before Lexie even had a chance to speak, "we were fighting and she got really upset" Mark explained with a shaky voice.

"Dr. Sloan you're not the first man to fight with his pregnant wife" Dr. Sorrento informed Mark as she gave him a reassuring smile, hoping that he understood none of this was his fault.

"Ok have you done anything out of the ordinary since the last time I saw you or has anything changed?" Dr. Sorrento asked Lexie while a nurse quietly entered the room and handed Dr. Sorrento a portable ultrasound machine.

"You mean other than the fact that I seem to be eating every single minute of the day and that my emotional state right now is like that of a crazy person I'm absolutely fine" Lexie uttered sarcastically as she cringed from the pain.

"Ok are you feeling like your in pain right now?" Dr. Sorrento asked, the cringe not going unnoticed by either her or Mark.

Lexie silently nodded her head as she squeezed Mark's hand tightly, it wasn't because the pain was that bad but because she was scared and she needed to know that he was there for her.

"Ok, why don't we take a look and see what's going on" Dr. Sorrento suggested as she set up the portable ultrasound.

Lexie and Mark both held their breaths, squeezing each others hands tightly as they waited for Dr. Sorrento to find their baby heart beat, the longer she took the more nervous Lexie became.

Dr. Sorrento furrowed her brow as she continued to look on at the portable machine, "what's wrong?" Mark asked hesitantly with the idea that the answer may terrify him.

But before Dr. Sorrento was able to answer Mark's question the sound of a beating heart began to fill the silence in the room, it was like music to Lexie's ear as she let out a huge sigh of relief.

"So everything's ok then right…the baby's fine?" Mark asked, needing to actually hear the doctor say the words before he could even think about letting himself calm down.

"The baby's fine and mommy's fine, you were just experiencing some minor cramps from stress…it's nothing to be worried about, but I would like you to stop picking fights with your husband all the time" Dr. Sorrento joked as she continued to look at the screen.

"Doc you have a deal" Mark declared with a grin as he bent down and kissed Lexie on the forehead, he could feel himself breathing easier knowing that everything was ok.

Dr. Sorrento nodded her head but she still had a frown on her face which didn't help to completely subside all of Lexie's fear, "what is it?" Lexie asked up front, not wanting to play games if there was a chance that there was something with her baby.

"Uhh…nothing" Dr. Sorrento quickly answered as she looked at the ultrasound with a distracted look on her face. "Dr. Grey how much weight would you say that you've put on in the last two months?"

Lexie groaned as she heard the doctor's question, "why does everything keep coming back to my weight?" she asked Mark before turn her attention back to Dr. Sorrento. "Around four pounds maybe three why…you don't think that it had anything to do with what just happened?"

"Oh no" Dr. Sorrento answered Lexie with a smile, "but it does explain why you're appetite has been a lot larger for a woman who is normally around the same time as you or why you're a lot more emotional".

"It does" Mark questioned with a frown, he really couldn't see the connection but then again he wasn't a trained OB.

"Absolutely, and it also explains why your cramping felt a lot worse than it really was" Dr. Sorrento explained as she moved her hand around Lexie's abdomen. "Ok see if I move my hand here you can hear the baby's heart beat right" Dr. Sorrento explained and turned to Mark and Lexie who both nodded their heads. "But then if I move to the other side of Lexie's abdomen…" Dr. Sorrento began to say but stopped, deciding that the sound would speak for itself.

Lexie gasped as she heard the fleeting flutter of another heart beat, shocked couldn't even begin to describe what she was feeling. Lexie instantly turned to Mark only to see that his face had turned white as a ghost, "Mark" Lexie called out carefully as she shook his hand to try and get his attention.

It slowly began to register to Mark, and suddenly he was grinning like a Cheshire cat and turned to Lexie who smiled in relief. "You're saying that it's twins…that we're having two babies?" Mark asked Dr. Sorrento.

Dr. Sorrento stood there with a gleeful smile on her face; it was times like these that made her love the job she had. "I'm not saying anything; your babies are the ones doing all the talking" Dr. Sorrento answered.

"Twins" Lexie repeated slowly as she let the idea of having _two _babies sink in while her hand instantly went to her stomach, Mark quickly leant down and kissed her in excitement at the idea of it all. "Wait a minute" Lexie called out as a thought occurred to her, "how come we're just figuring this out now….how come you weren't able to see this in the sonogram you did last week?" Lexie questioned with a frown.

Dr. Sorrento laughed softly at Lexie's interrogation, "as a doctor Dr. Grey you should know better than any of my other patients that sometimes it's difficult to identify twins when one is being blocked off by the other. It seems that when we preformed your first ultrasound last week the second baby had been hiding behind the first…making it impossible to pick up the second heartbeat, but because of the stress and the cramping the second baby was forced to move into a more comfortable position" Dr. Sorrento managed to quickly explain everything in one single breath.

"So they're good…all _three _of them are fine?" Mark questioned once again, swearing that this would be last time he asked. It was funny because the old Mark Sloan would have freaked just hearing about _one _baby…but right now, at this point in his life the idea of _two _sounded even better than one.

"Everything is perfectly fine Dr. Sloan, however I am ordering Dr. Grey to go home for the rest of the day" Dr. Sorrento turned to Lexie to give her a serious look, letting her know that this wasn't up for debate.

"Absolutely Dr. Sorrento" Lexie agreed, she was going to do whatever she was told if it meant keeping her babies safe.

"Good, so I'll see you in three weeks and don't hesitate to page me if you have any other kind of problem" Dr. Sorrento told Mark and Lexie before quickly walking out the room.

Lexie slowly began to sit up and turned to face Mark, "how are you holding up?" she asked him carefully because there was a part of her that was worried Mark was going to freak.

"I'm fine, why wouldn't I be" Mark questioned Lexie with a frown on his face, instantly worried that she wouldn't be able to cope with the idea of two babies.

"Uhh because we were just told that we're having twins…that means a whole other human being needs to be added into the equation now, it also means a whole other mouth to feed along with another set of crying lungs, and extra diaper changes…" Lexie began to rant but quickly stopped as Mark pressed his finger against her lips.

"We can handle this, we can do this" Mark reassured Lexie before he kissed her gently yet longingly on the lips.

"True…and I guess with twins that does means we've kind of gotten the whole baby thing out of the way in one go" Lexie told Mark, but she could see the playful grin forming on his face. "Mark you do realise we're having twins, i.e. two babies, you can't count them as one just because they happened to be conceived at the same time…you got your wish, our baby won't be an only child, so that means the baby factory is _closed_" Lexie joked as she thought back to their conversation a week after they had gotten engaged.

Mark casually shrugged his shoulders, "will see" Mark answered with a smirk on his face as he began to walk out of the room.

"Mark…I mean it Mark, this so does _not _count as one" Lexie called out as she jumped off the table, quickly trailing behind Mark.

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_**See the review button…come on you know you want to…**_


	37. Chapter 37

**Sorry this has taken so long to be updated but yesterday I had made a deal with myself that I wasn't allowed to post this until I had written an update for my other two stories…and surprisingly I actually stuck to it. So here's the update and I hope that you all enjoy each of them.**

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**Chapter 37**

"So do we want to know what the sexes of the babies are?" Dr. Sorrento asked with a goofy smile on her face, she always loved watching first time parents make this decision.

"Umm" Lexie wasn't really sure whether she wanted to know what they were, she looked over at Mark who was standing beside her and holding her hand tightly.

Mark chuckled at Lexie, "why are you looking at me like that" he questioned with a mischievous smirk.

"Do you want to know" Lexie asked with a faint smile, deep down she knew that Mark wanted to know but she just wasn't sure if _she _wanted to know.

"Whatever you decide" Mark answered casually, while the idea of knowing what they were having was enticing the minute he had walked through that door Mark had decided that the decision would entirely be up to Lexie.

Dr. Sorrento laughed at the two doctors and their indecisiveness, all she could say was that she was grateful they didn't hesitate like this when it came to saving a life. "Why don't we call it a tie and give yourselves sometime to think about it, then I'll ask you again at your next check up in a month" Dr. Sorrento suggested.

Mark and Lexie both sighed in relief at the doctors suggestion, deciding on whether or not they really wanted to know the sexes of the babies wasn't something either of them could decide on a whim.

"Ok Lexie you're good to go and I'll see you a month from now" Dr. Sorrento announced as she moved out of the way so Lexie could get up.

"A month, got it doc" Mark repeated, assuring the doctor that they'd be there.

Dr. Sorrento smiled at Mark's enthusiasm and walked out of the room so that the two of them could be alone.

Lexie draped her arm around Mark's neck and pulled him in closer for a kiss, she loved seeing the protective and attentive side of Mark. He had been the perfect husband for the last four months what with making sure that she had everything she needed, always being there whenever she was upset about something no matter how ridiculous it might have seemed and not to mention the endless supply of sex.

Mark reluctantly pulled away from Lexie, "as much as I enjoy the recent boost in your sex drive that you seem to have going on I meant what I said…no sex in the hospital" Mark repeated with a playful glare.

He had lost count of how many times in the last month alone Lexie had dragged him to his office or to the nearest on-call room for sex. 18 Mark reminded himself, because it was 18 times that he had turned her down…Mark refused to cheapen what they had to some quickie in the on-call room or on his office couch, his couch was still clean and that's the way it was going to stay. And while Lexie would always get mad at him she'd be over it by the time they got home from work.

"You know not everything I do has a sexual motive behind it" Lexie pouted.

Mark began laughing like an idiot, "I can't believe you actually managed to say that with a straight face" Mark pointed out through fits of laughter.

Lexie playfully punched Mark on his arm before walking over to the door, "I hope you remember this when the babies are born and Dr. Sorrento is reminding you that there'll be no sex for **six weeks** after" Lexie announced with an evil smile on her face, it instantly shut Mark up as Lexie walked out the door.

"Hey why didn't you tell me that _before _I got you knocked up" Mark yelled out, chasing after Lexie.

"Didn't tell you what before" Izzie questioned as she stood there with her back against the wall.

"Jesus Stevens" Mark cried out as he jumped back in shock, "are you trying to giving me a heart attack?"

"Sorry" Izzie apologised before throwing Lexie a sandwich, she knew how hungry the woman always got after a checkup.

"You're a god" Lexie proclaimed to Izzie as she took a bite into her sandwich, to Lexie's joy she had quickly moved on from her cravings for apples just as she began her third month of the pregnancy.

Now for the last two months Lexie had practically lived off of a peanut butter and jelly and banana sandwich…while everyone else kept complaining, arguing that she was destroying a classic she had managed to convert Alex.

"Just doing my job" Izzie chanted with a smile.

"You need to get a life" Mark told Izzie with a mocking glare, while at first Izzie's constant nosiness had been bothering Mark he had started to become more grateful for it. After Lexie's scare Mark realised that having Izzie around was a good thing, she could look out for Lexie when Mark couldn't be there.

"I have a life" Izzie argued with a glare.

"Following me and my wife around like a lost puppy isn't a life...it's sad and pathetic, go bother _your _husband" Mark replied flatly.

The two of them were trying really hard not to laugh at each other, because while they both knew that neither of them meant what they were saying Lexie didn't. They also knew that if Lexie found out they had this secret pact to watch her like a hawk she'd be royally pissed off at the both of them.

"Ok could you two please stop trying to be the new Derek and Cristina" Lexie asked while chewing on the final piece of her sandwich.

"Does that mean Stevens get's to crawl into bed with us" Mark asked with an evil grin while trying to pretend like the idea was actually turning him on.

Lexie shook her head as she rolled her eyes, "don't you have a guy's nose to fix in like five minutes" Lexie reminded Mark, refusing to answer his comment.

"Fine" Mark sighed in mock disappointment, "I'll go fix a guy's nose while you two do whatever it is that you actually do around here" Mark answered dryly.

"Good" Lexie answered with a smile before kissing Mark on the lips, "and I'll see you at lunch" Lexie told him after pulling away from him.

Mark nodded his head and began walking down the corridor, as Lexie and Izzie began heading in the opposite direction Mark quickly ran back and twirled Lexie around on her heel and kissed her again. This time Mark pulled her closer towards him as he tightened his grip around her waist, his tongue sweeping through her mouth.

Izzie rolled her eyes as she continued to watch the two of them; she had become so used to seeing the two of them act like this she no longer felt uncomfortable around them.

Mark reluctantly pulled away as his pager began beeping; he was running late for his own surgery. "Just wanted to remind you that I'll make it up to you later tonight" Mark commented with a sly smile on his face before finally walking away.

"So am I knitting blue and blue or pink and pink…or pink _and _blue" Izzie questioned jumping up and down in excitement. She froze and looked at Lexie with a disturbed look on her face, "god Mark's right, I need to get a life".

Lexie giggled as she looped her arm through Izzie's and began dragging her down the corridor, "first of all never, _ever _repeat those words to Mark because he'll never let you forget it, and secondly we don't know" Lexie admitted sheepishly. "We couldn't decide whether or not we wanted to know the sexes".

Izzie rolled her eyes at her best friend, "well I guess I can always knit two of each" Izzie sighed as she pretended like it was going to be a hassle.

"I knew I kept you around for a reason" Lexie commented with a smile on her face as her pager quickly went off. "I have to go Cristina needs me" Lexie sighed as she dreaded whatever task Cristina had lined up for her.

But she was also grateful in a way for Cristina and Dr. Bailey because neither of them treated her like she was some fragile delicate flower that was about to brake…unlike Derek and Dr. Hunt. Cristina kept constantly telling Lexie that she needed to work her hard now because she was going to miss out on learning new things while she was on leave.

Izzie giggled at the way Cristina and Lexie pretended to dislike each other, Meredith and Izzie seemed to be the only ones able to see through all the smoke and mirrors. Izzie waved goodbye and walked off in search of Alex, and as Lexie watched Izzie walk away she was reminded of an idea she wanted to run past Mark.

**************

"Huh I'm not a sleep" Lexie called out as she jumped off the couch at the sound of the door slamming shut.

Mark stood there with an evil grin on his face, he couldn't help it. It was just that part inside if him that was bad…and it was so tempting. When he had come in here thinking that he could hide from all the Interns he was greeted with the sight of Lexie sleeping on his couch. He knew that it was wrong, down right evil but after what she had done to him this morning payback only seemed fair.

Lexie on the other hand didn't seem to disturbed by it, "oh it's only you" Lexie sighed as she sank back into the couch.

"I beg you're pardon but I'll remind you that I am you're Attending, i.e. that makes me your boss" Mark announced, trying to play the authority figure, but even he wasn't buying his little act.

Lexie giggled at Mark, "hate to burst your bubble buddy but you haven't really been my Attending since you began admiring my pulley stitch".

Mark made his way over to the couch and flopped down beside Lexie before shaking his head, "seriously a pulley stitch?" Mark questioned in disbelief as he thought back to it. "So let me get this straight, I was sleeping in a cold bed like a shmuck for three weeks, before _you _asked me to 'teach you', for no good reason" Mark declared as he narrowed his eyes at Lexie.

Lexie smiled as she bit her bottom lip and nodded her head.

"Unbelievable" Mark exclaimed as he threw his hands up in the air, "there I was wasting my time when I already had you in the bag just for complementing your pulley stitch".

Lexie shook her head, "careful Sloan you're making your wife sound easy" Lexie warned him with a playful glare.

Mark leant over towards her, "trust me my wife is far being easy" Mark whispered before he softly kissed her on the lips.

Lexie felt her heart pounding as her own lips deepened the kiss, it was insane and she knew it but lately the slightest touch or the slightest look from Mark and Lexie went crazy. As she slowly raked her fingers down Mark's chest and began to pull his scrub shirt out of his pants Mark quickly pulled away and jumped off of the couch, Lexie sighed in disappointment.

"Didn't we have this discussion this morning?" Mark questioned Lexie with a funny look before sitting down at his desk, trying to put up a barrier between him and his sex crazed wife.

"Hey it's not my fault you started something that you can't finish" Lexie teased as she stood in front of him with her arms folded against her chest.

"Hey I can finish what I started…at _home_" Mark argued back, "and stop doing that" Mark ordered as he pointed towards her boobs.

"Stop doing what?" Lexie asked while pretending to be ignorant, she had purposefully crossed her arms so that she could draw attention to her boobs.

If anyone asked Mark what was the best part about his wife being pregnant Lexie was convinced that he'd answer her boobs. They seemed to just keep getting bigger and while they annoyed the hell out of Lexie, Mark didn't seem to mind at all.

"You know what" Mark answered as he looked down at the papers in front of him, he refused to look her in the eye…or anywhere else for that matter because he knew that he'd cave.

Lexie threw her hands in the hair in frustration, "I married _Mark Sloan_…so do you mind telling me where the man whore's gotten too?" Lexie questioned with a devious smile.

Mark shook his head while he looked down so he could hide his smile, "the man whore has been looked up and ain't ever coming out again".

"Well I could really use him right about now so why don't we unlock the door just this once" Lexie asked in a sultry whisper.

Mark shivered as a surge of desire ran through his spine but he quickly shook it off, "sorry can't help you with that missy…"

"Hey Mark I need to talk to you" Callie called out as she walked into the room but stoped once she spotted Lexie in the room. "Uhh if you two are about to do it I'm gonna leave because that's something I really don't need to see".

"No" Lexie answered disappointingly, "we weren't about to have _sex_…apparently _pregnant _woman aren't allowed sex" Lexie answered as she walked out of the room.

"Pregnant woman are allowed sex at _home_, they're just not allowed sex inside the _hospital_" Mark called out to Lexie's retreating back with a small smile on his face. He knew that she was going to make him pay for this during the six weeks after the babies were born.

Callie shook her head, "not something I really needed to know" she commented before sitting down on the empty chair opposite Mark.

Mark chuckled at Callie, "well then you shouldn't have been in the room" Mark teased before closing the file that was in front of him. "Now Torres what can I do for you on this fine morning" Mark asked with a cheerful grin.

Callie frowned at Mark's sunny disposition; it was sort of creepy in so many ways that she didn't even know where to begin to explain. "Who are you and what have you done with the _real _Mark Sloan?" Callie questioned suspiciously.

"Ha, ha, ha, you're real funny Callie…I'm happy, since when has it become a crime all of the sudden to be really happy?" Mark questioned, trying to figure out why him being happy was weird. After all why shouldn't he be happy, he was happily married and was five months away from having two beautiful healthy babies?

"No it's just…it's just still going to take some time getting use to this new Mark, you know the one who isn't grouchy all the time or mean and disheartening" Callie quickly answered.

"Hey I'm still that guy" Mark answered defensively, "just throw me an Intern and I'll prove it to you" Mark told her with a wicked smile on his face.

Callie laughed at Mark, "and he's back" she announced with a huge grin.

"See I told you so" Mark answered smugly, "I'm just trying to get some practice in with being all smiley and happy before the bubs arrive" Mark explained.

"Mark you'll be fine, you've got it in the bag" Callie tried to reassure him, while Lexie was still only four months along it seemed like Callie was beginning to see less and less of Mark lately and they didn't really get to talk anymore.

"So listen how about a drink at Joe's tonight" Callie suggested with a hint of excitement at getting some quality time with Mark. "And before you say no I happen to know for a fact that a certain wife is working late tonight, so you can't use her as an excuse" she argued when she saw Mark open his mouth as he was about to say something.

Mark shook his head with a smile, "why don't you woman ever actually let a man say something first before you jump down his throat?" Mark questioned. "Because if you _had _then you would have heard me say that it sounds like a great idea, I'll meet you at Joe's at 8pm" he told her with a smug look on his face.

Callie shook her head, "fine I'm sorry…I'll meet you at Joe's at 8pm" Callie reassured Mark before getting up from her seat and walking out of the room so Mark could finally get some work done in _his _office.

But Callie quickly stuck her head back into room with a _I don't know what else to say look _on her face, "I think you better get out here before one of the Interns actually manage to kill your patient" Callie suggested, grateful that she didn't have any Interns today.

Mark groaned in frustration as he reluctantly pulled himself out of his chair, thinking about how much he would really need that drink after he finally got around to killing the Interns and saving the future of medicine from despair.

**************

As Mark weaved his way through the somewhat over crowded bar of Joe's he finally spotted Callie sitting in a corner booth with Owen, "it's a little crowded for a Thursday night" Mark commented as he slid into the booth next to Callie.

Callie laughed as she shook her head, "when was the last time you actually stepped foot inside this place?" Callie questioned and Owen laughed.

Mark frowned as he thought about that, he really couldn't remember the last time he had been to Joe's since his wedding day. "I need to get out more" Mark announced with look of disbelief on his face, he had become a hermit.

"Don't think that's going to be happening anytime soon with _twins _on the way" Owen pointed out with a smile.

"Hey" Derek called out as he slid into the empty seat beside Owen with a smile on his face.

"I thought you had a surgery" Callie questioned with a frown.

Derek shrugged, "yeah well when you told me that you actually managed to get Mark to go somewhere other than home and the hospital I thought that I needed to see it for myself" Derek teased with a smile.

Mark was about to comment to Derek about being a smart ass when he was cut off by Joe's cheerful hi and excited smile, "Dr. Sloan haven't seen you in a while…so how's Lexie going, Meredith told me the good news?"

Mark nodded his head with a proud smile on his face, if he was this happy just thinking about it he hated to see what he was going to be like once they were actually born. "She's good…they're all good, but at work right now so Torres here managed to drag me away from my boring, mundane married life" Mark explained with a sigh.

Callie smacked him across the chest hard, "ok we don't need you rubbing it in that you have the most stable relationship inside the entire hospital" Callie told him in mock hurt.

Joe laughed at Callie before turning his attention to Derek and Mark, "so what can I get you guys?"

"Just the usual thanks Joe" Derek answered for the both of them before grabbing a handful of peanuts.

"Actually can I grab a burger" Mark quickly jumped in before Joe had a chance to get away.

"Sure thing, one medium rare steak burger coming up" Joe repeated the order with a smile before leaving the four of them in peace.

"So that's what's wrong with little Grey…she doesn't feed her husband" Callie exclaimed as she slammed her hand down on to the table, pretending as though she had finally found Lexie's flaw.

"No" Mark answered while her tried not to laugh at Callie, "I'm just hungry" he answered defensively.

"Lexie can't stand the smell of beef…it makes her sick, so we're not allowed beef in the house" Derek joked.

Owen shrugged his shoulders, "makes sense…if she's having your babies the least you can do is sacrifice a food group".

Mark chuckled; he knew that Owen was right because Lexie hadn't really been as demanding as most men made their wives out to be. Really it's only been a few little things that had been setting her off…like that which Mark refused to think about until he got home to Lexie.

They all continued to sit around the table, laughing and talking about anything and everything under the sun while the crowd of people around them slowly began to dwindle down as it got late.

Mark then turned his attention to Derek after something he had said, "hey if you don't like it you can always move out" Mark suggested with a smirk on his face, he knew how crazy Meredith and their house were driving Derek.

Derek groaned as he remembered the chaos that was his life, "don't get me wrong I love the woman, and I love the fact that she's actually taking an interest in our house…but I'm about to kill her".

"Shepherd she can't be that bad" Callie jumped in, deciding that someone needed to come to the defense of the Grey sisters.

"Do you remember the first time you did your solo surgery, and while you were trying to pay attention to everything that was going on in front of you the Chief was standing over your shoulder the whole time…judging you, and correcting you" Derek questioned Callie and Owen, he didn't need to prove his point to Mark because Mark had bared witness to some of their fights.

Callie shuddered at the memory of her first solo surgery, "thanks for reminding me when I had just managed to completely block that out" she answered before gulping the last sip of her drink just as Joe was delivering Mark and Derek there's.

"Hey Joe can I get another" Callie asked waving her glass in the air, "he's buying" she declared with a smile on her face as she pointed at Mark.

Owen smirked, "well if Sloan's buying then I'll have another one too thanks".

Mark playfully glared at Callie, "and here I was thinking that you wanted me to come out tonight for some quality bonding time…you only wanted me for my money".

"Yeah well some of us aren't penniless senior Residents whose own father won't even talk to them" Callie mumbled as she dropped her head in her hand and sighed.

"He still isn't talking to you" Mark questioned Callie with a concerned look on his face, he had been so busy with Lexie for the last few months that he had even forgotten about Callie's daddy troubles.

"No" Callie pouted, "he keeps avoiding my calls and even when I do manage to get through to home every time I ask to speak to dad they come up with some excuse" Callie explained with a depressed look on her face.

"Here ya go Callie" Joe announced cheerfully as he passed her the drink, Callie didn't even wait two seconds before gulping down the entire drink in one go.

"I'll have another one thanks Joe" Callie told him casually.

Joe looked at Mark for confirmation that getting Callie another drink was actually a good idea; Mark silently nodded his head before Joe walked away.

"I mean his my father, he's supposed to love me for who I am…whether it be a straight heterosexual Orthopaedic surgeon or a homosexual circus master" Callie cried out while chewing on her straw.

"You thinking of running away to join the circus Torres" Mark teased with a smile on his face, trying to cheer Callie up.

"Shut up, you know what I mean" Callie answered as she hit Mark on his arm, having trouble not to smile at him.

"Parents make plans…from the moment we're born they have these grand ideas of how our lives are supposed to turn out. But unfortunately when we don't _follow _the plan they get mad, but deep down they're not mad at you, they're mad at themselves…they're mad for being disappointed in us for not fulfilling some absurd expectation they had set up despite knowing that we could never really live up to it" Owen explained with a solemn look on his face. He knew how Callie felt in a way; his father never really forgave him for joining the army.

"Yeah well you three should just be lucky that your parents even _had _expectations for you…mine, mine just kept wishing that they'd come home one night and find that I'd magically disappeared" Mark answered.

Derek looked at Mark with a hint of surprise; Mark wasn't into the whole talking about your parent's kind of stuff. The only people Mark had ever mentioned anything about Diana and Carter were to him, his mom and Lexie…and even then it was very vague.

"So how do I get him to talk to him?" Callie questioned Mark with renewed excitement, thinking that if she wanted to talk to her father then she needed to get inside a man's head.

Mark nearly choked on his drink as he looked at Callie like she had just grown another head, "you're coming to _me _for parenting advice" Mark questioned while shaking his head, "wow you must be really desperate".

"No" Callie answered panned; "it's just that you're the only one here that's going to be a parent. So who better to get daddy advice from then you?" Callie explained with a pleading look for him to help her.

Mark shook his head as he sighed, "Torres sometimes parent's screw up and make mistakes and after awhile all is forgiven…sometimes what they've done never can be forgiven, and if that's the case then you need t go your separate ways and just accept the fact that things are never going to be the same again. You just need to decide which end of the scale your father falls on" Mark suggested; it really was the only advice he had for her.

Callie was stunned, she really had no answer so instead she did the only rational thing her mind could think of…she hit him, she smacked Mark up the backside of his head.

"Ow, what did you do that for" Mark cried out as he rubbed the back of his head.

Callie shook her head in disbelief, "that is the worst advice I have heard in my entire life…are you honestly telling me that if somewhere down the line _you _screw up with your parenting that you hope your kids will never forgive you…that no matter what you do to try and make it up to them that they continue to hate you till the day you die?" Callie questioned.

"That's not what I meant" Mark argued as he pointed at Callie.

"That's _exactly _what you meant" Callie exclaimed in disbelief.

Mark opened his mouth to say something but then quickly closed it; he turned to Derek with a disturbed look on his face. "My kid's are going to hate me" Mark declared as he went over the advice he had just given Callie.

"No they're not" Derek reassured Mark as he rolled his eyes, "that's what Lexie's there for…you'll keep screwing up and she'll keep reminding them that that's just how their dear old dad is" Derek teased with a smirk.

Mark shook his head, wondering what father in his right mind would tell someone to keep hating their own dad…how would he feel if he woke up one morning and his kids never wanted to see or speak to him again.

"Look you're new at this, besides the babies aren't even born yet…and it's not your fault you had crappy parents" Callie tried to reason with Mark before he went home and had a complete melt down. Pregnant or not she knew that Lexie would come after her for breaking Mark Sloan.

"You fight" Mark told her, wanting to giving this advice thing another shot, "you pick up the phone and you keep calling until he finally answers you. And if that doesn't work then you go and see him, you go to where ever it is that he lives and you camp outside the front of his house until he finally lets you in" Mark advised her.

Callie lunged towards Mark and wrapped her arm around his shoulders before kissing him on the cheek, "you just managed to redeem yourself Sloan"

Owen and Derek laughed at the look on Mark's face; he was smiling like an idiot because someone had informed him that he had just won the lottery.

**************

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	38. Chapter 38

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**Chapter 38**

"What about Izzie?" Lexie called out from the living room.

Mark poked his head out of the fridge for a second so he could look over his shoulder at the direction Lexie's voice came from, shaking his head Mark quickly grabbed what he was looking for and walked back into the living room.

"Oh give me, give me" Lexie chanted while holding her hands out once she spotted Mark walking back into the living room with her tub of ice-cream.

"Are you sure you really want this" Mark asked teasingly as he waved the ice-cream and spoon in the air.

"Do you hear that babies, daddy's being mean to mommy" Lexie spoke to her growing belly with a pout.

Mark shook his head as he tried to hide a smile, "not even born yet and you're already trying to corrupt them against me" Mark commented as he dumped the ice-cream and spoon onto the coffee table.

"They better be boys in there" Mark mumbled under his breath as he sat back down onto the couch and began flipping through the channels.

"I'm sorry what was that" Lexie questioned with a smirk while reaching out for her ice-cream.

Making herself comfortable back on the couch Lexie put her feet up on Mark's lap as she dug into the ice-cream. Lexie couldn't help but let out a soft moan as the creamy ice-cream hit her tastebuds, she had been craving it all day.

Mark tried to ignore it while concentrating on the sports channel, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.

He looked over at Lexie out of the corner of his eye and shook his head, she was lying there eating a tub of ice-cream in a pair of baggy pants and one of his t-shirts yet she was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

"Oh god this is so god" Lexie moaned again as she took another bite.

"Ok that's it" Mark called out while muting the television, being a lot taller than Lexie Mark didn't have to stretch far to quickly snatch the ice-cream from her hands.

"Hey I was eating that" Lexie protested with a pout.

"I know I could _hear _you…but it's ice-cream Lexie" Mark answered looking at the tub in his hand, "you shouldn't be making the kinds of sounds that only your _husband _is supposed to get out of you while eating this stuff" Mark commented.

"You're jealous of a tub of ice-cream" Lexie pointed out with a smirk on her face.

Lexie carefully slid over to Mark and kissed him softly on the lips, Mark melted into the kiss as he tasted the peppermint ice-cram on his wife's lips.

As Lexie deepened the kiss she slowly ran her fingers across Mark's arm until she managed to feel the cool cardboard of the ice-cream, and just as quickly as the kiss began Lexie pulled away with ice-cream in hand.

Mark shook his head in disbelief, while Lexie flopped back down on the couch giggling at her treachery before taking another spoonful of the ice-cream.

"You're an evil woman" Mark pouted before turning his attention back to the game on the TV.

"Don't blame me, blame the babies" Lexie whimpered in defense.

"Seriously, you're trying to blame the babies for your wickedness?" Mark pointed out with a look of disbelief.

Lexie nodded her head with a sly smile.

"They better be boys" Mark muttered under his breath.

Lexie couldn't help but laugh at her husband's pouting, "are you really going to keep saying that for the next five months?"

"That or until you actually make up your mind on whether or not you want to know" Mark answered, while he was still sticking to the whole Lexie makes the decision plan she sure was taking her time.

"Ok question then…what if we do find out and Dr. Sorrento tells you that they're both girls?" Lexie asked with a wicked grin.

Mark froze as Lexie threw that question at him, while he could handle the idea of _one _daughter Mark wasn't so sure about to two.

It wasn't that Mark would love them any less…it was more to do with the fact that he had once been a teenage boy, and he wasn't so sure that he could handle being on the other end of that _twice._

"Then by the time they're sixteen I'll either be completely grey or completely bald" Mark answered with a smirk.

Lexie shook her head, "well grey or bald I'll still love you" Lexie reassured him with a sweet smile.

"What were you saying about Stevens before?" Mark asked, suddenly remembering the conversation that they had been having before Lexie suddenly _had _to have ice-cream.

"Oh, it was just an idea that I've been meaning to talk to you about" Lexie explained casually.

Mark shook his head adamantly, "look I know that the woman's become your new best friend, and that she's beaten cancer and all that stuff but there is _no _way that I am naming my daughter after her as well".

"I wasn't talking about naming one of the babies after Izzie" Lexie reassured Mark before sitting up so she could put the ice-cream down on the table.

"Then what were you talking about" Mark questioned her suspiciously as he draped an arm around Lexie's shoulders and pulled her closer towards him.

"Well I was thinking since we're going to be having _two _babies that maybe it's a bit much to ask two people to take care of two little people at the same time…"

"Lexie" Mark called out her name as he narrowed his eyes at her, "are you trying to pawn off one our children to Stevens…because if you are tell her to find her own babies" Mark ordered Lexie with a mock glare.

Lexie couldn't help but giggle as she shook her head, "I'm talking about _godparents_…I want to ask Izzie to be the godmother of one of the babies" Lexie explained.

"Godmother" Mark repeated the word as he thought abut it. "I thought that you would've wanted Meredith to do it" Mark explained with a frown.

Lexie shrugged her shoulders, "I do, but you can't honestly expect Meredith to be the godmother of _two _babies…I think getting her to say yes to one would be a stretch" Lexie commented.

"I thought she was growing into this whole baby thing" Mark questioned with a frown as concern began to burrow its way into Mark.

Lexie's pregnancy seemed to have sparked something inside of Derek; it seemed to only help feed Derek's desire to have a family of his own…but if Meredith didn't want that. Mark quickly shook his head to try and get rid of that thought, this was Meredith and Derek's problem not his.

Lexie gently ran a finger down the side of Mark's cheek; she could tell what he was thinking without him even having to say it. "Mark she's coming around, and one day Mere will be ready to have one of her own…but I think right now what Meredith needs is baby steps. You know give her _one _baby so she can get used to the idea".

Mark scoffed at that idea, "you mean more like let big Grey experiment on _my _kid before she has one of her own" Mark corrected Lexie with a smirk…but Lexie wasn't laughing.

"Ok" Mark conceited defeat, "but if you want two different sets of godparents for our babies then you're still one short" Mark pointed out with a smug grin because he loved being right or the smarter one.

"No I'm not" Lexie argued confidently.

"Ah yeah you are…Derek and Meredith for one baby, Izzie and…." Mark stoped, waiting for Lexie to fill in the blank since this was her master plan.

"Hey I've done my part, I picked Izzie so now you pick one" Lexie explained before walking into the kitchen so she could put the ice-cream away.

"You want_ me _to pick a godfather for our child" Mark asked disbelieving, following right behind Lexie.

"It's not that difficult Mark, just pick a guy that you're good friends with or a guy that you'd trust enough to put your baby's life in his hands" Lexie explained casually, like this wasn't really that big of a deal.

"Fine than I choose Derek" Mark declared instantly, he smiled thinking that the conversation was over with.

Lexie shook her head as she rolled her eyes at Mark, "you can't seriously expect Derek to be the godfather of both babies".

"Why not, he loves kids" Mark pointed out with a confident grin.

"Look how about Alex" Lexie suggested casually, ignoring Mark's comment about Derek.

Mark stood there with his arms crossed and a blank look across his face, "you seriously want me to pick a guy that my wife used to sleep with to be the godfather of our child".

"Mark, I only slept with him one time" Lexie tried to reason with him, she thought that he had gotten past it but apparently she was wrong.

"Oh well if we're going by that rationale then I vote that we dump Stevens and pick one of the scrub nurses to be godmother" Mark suggested sarcastically, he wasn't impressed one little bit.

"Ok you win" Lexie quickly conceited, because she could see where Mark was coming from using that logic. "Well then what about Dr. Hunt" Lexie suggested with a hopeful grin on her face.

"No"

Lexie frowned at the way Mark just casually shrugged off the idea, "why?" she questioned with a stubborn look on her face.

Mark scoffed at Lexie's question while thinking about how stupid this was, she told him to make the decision and now she was dictating the final choice. "Because I barely even now the guy and you said _somebody you're close _with" Mark repeated slowly like he was talking to a two year old.

Lexie shook her head; "Fine then tell me Mark who actually, besides Derek, falls into that category?" Lexie asked him.

Mark shrugged, "I don't know…" he whined as Mark thought about it. "The only person besides Derek that I'm close to and who I trust is Torres…"

"Ok Torres it is" Lexie declared as she sighed in relief because they now had that out of the way.

Mark shook his head because he wasn't sure that he had heard Lexie right, "did you just agree to Torres" Mark asked Lexie as he blocked her off from leaving the kitchen.

"Yes"

"Ok look I know that you might be confused because she's dating Arizona but you do remember that Callie is a _girl?_" Mark asked her hesitantly.

"Yes Mark, I do know that Callie is a girl" Lexie answered slowly, making sure that he heard every word she said.

"Isn't a baby supposed to have a god_father_ and a god_mother_" Mark reminded her, thinking that Lexie had officially gone insane.

"We've never really done things the conventional way now have we" Lexie pointed out with a devious smile on her face. "Besides its really simple, if one of them is a boy then Derek and Meredith get that baby, Callie and Izzie get the other one" Lexie answered.

"And what if they're both boys?" Mark questioned.

"I'm pretty sure that Callie and Izzie both have enough experience with men to handle two boys" Lexie reassured Mark.

"And if they're girls?"

"Then it's the perfect setup for our daughter, she'll have two godmothers that have enough experience with men to give her all the advice she needs" Lexie answered before quickly giving Mark a kiss on the lips and heading up to bed.

Mark frowned and turned to Lexie, "and why exactly would our daughter need advice on boys?" Mark called out to Lexie's retreating back.

Lexie giggled as she ran up the stairs before Mark could catch up to her, she knew it was mean but Lexie found it fun teasing Mark about that sort of thing.

"They better be boys" Mark muttered as he twisted open a bottle of beer and took a very, very long sip of it, thinking about how if he ends up with two daughters there wouldn't be enough beer in the world to fix his problems.

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	39. Chapter 39

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**Chapter 39**

"What is he doing?" Derek asked Callie with a confused look, watching Mark as he paced up and down past the nurses station.

"Intern exams" Callie mumbled while caught up in post-op charts.

Derek couldn't help but scoff at Callie's explanation, "please Lexie's the _only _Intern that actually knows what they're doing…it's the others I'm more concerned about".

"Worried that they'll fail or that they might actually pass" Callie asked curiously with a smirk.

"Definitely about passing" Derek answered without a second thought just as Mark passed him by.

"Seriously can you tell him to stop doing that" Callie ordered Derek, she was falling behind in paperwork and Mark was distracting her.

Derek immediately began shaking his head, "he's your best friend too…you tell him to stop" Derek argued.

"I'm not deaf you know" Mark cried out as he stopped his pacing and walked over to Derek.

"Will you relax" Callie told him as she rolled her eyes at him, "you know if you're this nervous about a stupid _Intern exam_ I'll hate to see what your like in three weeks" Callie joked.

A shiver ran down Mark's spine as he thought about that, Lexie was officially only three weeks away from going into labour at any minute and the thought still terrified him.

Physically everything that needed to be done had already been taken care of; Mark and Derek had been in charge of repainting and setting up the nursery in Izzie's old room…which was a bit difficult considering Lexie had won and they still didn't know what they were having.

Mentally though Mark wasn't sure if he really was ready to be the person responsible for two little lives, as Lexie got closer to her due date Mark could feel the anxiety creeping up on him. But Mark refused to tell Lexie any of this because he didn't want to worry her, he didn't want her to think that he was having second thoughts about this.

Lexie had now been on leave for the last two months per the Chief's order, despite being only 25 weeks in Lexie wasn't able to run up and down the halls of Seattle Grace or to scrub in on any surgery's…and that was without even considering her mood swings, they become so haywire that even the other Attendings were as afraid of her as Mark was.

Mark sighed though as he thought about it, he had been a complete ass over the last month and despite it Lexie still hadn't had a serious melt down on him. He had not right to complain and he knew that, while he was the one who still got to get up and go to work every morning Lexie was stuck at home.

She was stuck at home in a big empty house, because Meredith and Derek had officially moved into their new home three months ago, while her body was doing all these things to accommodate _his _children…nope, Mark knew that he had no right to complain.

"Mark you still in there?" Callie chanted while Derek waved his hand in front of Mark's face, he seemed to have drifted off into another world. "Ok do you think that he's finally snapped" Callie asked with an air of concern, she didn't want to be the one responsible for breaking Mark Sloan when his babies were being born in three weeks.

"I'll snap you in a minute" Mark growled with a playful glare as he pushed Derek's hand out of his face.

"And there's the Mark that we all know and love" Callie announced with a goofy grin.

Mark was about to make a remark when he spotted Lexie out of the corner of his eye coming towards them, he turned to see her genuinely smiling and it felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

"How did it go?" Callie asked excitedly as she jumped up from her seat and walked over to Lexie. Since being asked to be one of the babies godmother Lexie and Callie had actually grown a lot closer, Mark even went so far as to actually call them _friends_.

"Hey that's my line" Mark whined as he frowned at Callie.

Lexie smiled as she shook her head, "everything was fine except for the fact that one of your babies wouldn't stop kicking me" Lexie explained with a smirk on her face.

Derek couldn't help but chuckle, "I see that the little Sloan's are continuing with the tradition of inappropriate timing just like their father…" Derek teased.

"Don't you have a wife of your own to go and bother?" Mark questioned, trying really hard not laugh at Derek's joke.

Lexie shook her head as she remembered the first time that either of the babies had kicked and she couldn't fault Derek because at the time it really was inappropriate.

Mark and Derek were operating on a patient that they had let Lexie scrub in on, and just as Derek had given Lexie the all clear to cut into his occipital lobe, holding a scalpel a mere inch away from his brain, the baby kicked.

She could still remember the look on Derek and Mark's faces as they both saw her flinch…Mark had a terrified look on his face that something was wrong, but as soon as she explained to them what had happened it was replaced with a mixed look of happiness and guilt because he couldn't just walk up to her and feel it for himself.

"Ok as much as I love standing around here watching you two bicker like old hens I think I'm going to head home, I'm pretty beat" Lexie explained with an added yawn for affect.

"I shouldn't be home too late" Mark informed her before giving her a soft and gentle kiss on her lips.

"See you at home" Lexie answered with a smile as she kissed him back and walked away. Lexie still had to keep reminding herself that she only had Mark all to herself for another three weeks; the thought brought a goofy smile to her face.

**************

As Lexie lay asleep on the couch she could slowly feel herself being woken by the sound of incessant knocking at the front door, reluctantly Lexie hauled herself up and groggily made her way over to answer the door.

"Dad" Lexie whispered in shock as she stood there with the door wide open, an awkward silence took over them.

Thatcher couldn't believe his eyes, he had come here in the hopes of trying to make amends and instead he was greeted by his heavily pregnant daughter.

"Lexie" Thatcher managed to greet her with a shaky voice; he wasn't sure what he was supposed to say.

"Umm hi, why don't you come in" Lexie suggested nervously as she stepped aside and held the door open.

"Thank you" Thatcher stuttered as he stood in the hallway of the house he once called home, a house he once thought that he would raise Meredith in with Ellis Grey.

The two stood in an awkward silence, not really sure what to say to one another since it had been so long since they last spoke.

"Would like something to drink?" Lexie asked so formally that she had to stop herself from cringing; she hated how strained things had become between the two of them. She also made a vow right then and there that no matter what things would never be this bad between Mark and their children.

"Coffee would be nice if you have any" Thatcher answered.

"Sure, why don't you take a seat in the living room and I'll bring it to you" Lexie suggested as she began to make her way to the kitchen.

"Uhh Lexie remember black…"

"With one" Lexie finished for him with a faint trace of a smile on her lips.

Thatcher nodded in return, he knew that it was probably silly but knowing that she still remembered how he took his coffee gave him some sort of hope that it wasn't too late.

Thatcher then slowly began to make his way into the living room and wasn't surprised at all about how warm and inviting it was just to be in the room…_just like her mother_ Thatcher thought to himself as he wandered over to the fire place.

There were various pictures of people that Thatcher had never met before sitting on the mantle piece of the fireplace. The photo sitting in the centre was what had caught Thatcher's eye the most…it was one of his two little girls, Meredith and Lexie were giggling with their arms wrapped around two very tall and very handsome men who were both standing on either side of an older lady. The only other person in that photo which Thatcher could immediately identify was Derek, but the second man and the older woman was a mystery to him.

But as Thatcher studied the photo he sighed as he realised where the photo must have taken place, it was a photo that had been taken of the four of them huddled around Mrs. Shepherd just a few minutes after the ceremony had finished. Lexie was dressed in her white wedding dress, and it was in that moment that Thatcher realised just how much his drinking had cost him.

As Thatcher went down the line of photo's it only made the guilt eat away at him even more. There was one of Meredith, Lexie, Izzie and Cristina that Alex had taken of them all sitting on a row of bar stools at Joe's about a week after Izzie's cancer had been declared in remission, all of them were beaming with smiles as they each held up a tequila shot…even Cristina was genuinely smiling.

While the photo sitting directly next to it was of Derek, Mark, Alex and Owen all holding up glasses of scotch as they stood huddled behind their respective wives or girlfriend.

Thatcher slowly reached out to pick up that specific photo so he could get a closer at all the smiling faces in the photo, his heart broke as Thatcher realised that there was this entire other life that Meredith and Lexie had…a life that he may not fit into anymore.

Lexie stood in the doorway holding a mug as she watched him study the photos, she couldn't help but think about how in a life before Susan's death Thatcher would have known who exactly every single person in that photo was. He would have been there to walk her down the aisle instead of Owen and he would have known that in three weeks he was going to be a grandfather.

"That was taken at Izzie's welcome home party" Lexie announced as she walked into the living room and handed Thatcher his coffee.

"Where was this Izzie woman?" Thatcher asked, eager to learn more about the life Lexie had created for herself.

"She was in hospital for the past three months before that…she had been diagnosed with metastatic melanoma cancer" Lexie explained sorrowfully, it still hurt to think about how close they had come to losing her.

"I'm sorry" Thatcher whispered, he may not have been around for nearly the last year but Lexie still had that beaten down look on her face like she used to when she was a little girl.

"Don't be, we've all moved on from it…Izzie was declared in remission and moved into a new place with her husband Alex" Lexie explained with a smile.

"And what about Meredith" Thatcher asked, trying not to show too much enthusiasm.

Lexie hesitated for a second, she wasn't really sure that Meredith would want Lexie discussing her life with their father. "She umm…"

"She isn't home" Thatcher asked as he looked over Lexie's shoulder as though Meredith was about to pop out anytime soon.

Lexie sighed in defeat, "she actually doesn't live here anymore…she and Derek live in their own house that they built up on Derek's land" she answered timidly.

"Oh so they're living together" Thatcher pointed out.

"Actually they're more like a married couple living together" Lexie corrected him. It was six weeks ago that Meredith had told Derek that she wanted to make their marriage _legal,_ so Mark and Cristina had gone with them as witnesses to the local court house.

Thatcher let out an awkward laugh, "my two daughters who are both surgeons ended up marrying to surgeons" Thatcher joked.

"And brothers actually" Lexie jumped in with a smile, despite everything that had happened Lexie really wanted to be able to fill her dad in on everything.

"They're brothers" Thatcher repeated in shocked surprise.

Lexie smiled as she walked over to the mantle piece and picked up the last photo which Thatcher had yet to look at and passed it over to him. It was a photo of a ten year old Mark and Derek; both positioned on either side of an older looking version of Derek, the three of them were standing near the edge of a lake holding a fishing rod each.

It was a photo that Carolyn had given both Mark and Derek each a copy of when she had found out Lexie was having twins; Carolyn said that she wanted Mark to always remember what it meant to be a father. And Carolyn knew what that meant to Mark because he had considered Jonathon Shepherd as his father.

"They're not brothers biologically, but they are in every other way that counts. Mark and Derek became best friends when they were about eight and have been ever since, I guess you can say that Mark was adopted by the Shepherd family" Lexie explained.

Thatcher looked down at the photo of the two smiling boys who were both clearly missing a tooth each and then compared the photo to the one from Lexie and Mark's wedding. "He's a bit old isn't he?" Thatcher heard himself ask before he even had a chance to stop the words from coming out of his mouth.

Lexie frowned as she quickly snatched the photo and placed it back up on the mantle, "did you come here just to judge me on my life choices or is there another reason to this visit" Lexie asked with a hint of bitterness to it.

"Lexie I didn't mean anything by it, clearly you're happier than you have been in a long time" Thatcher explained as he pointed towards her enlarged stomach. "Can I ask when the baby is due?" Thatcher spoke softly and hesitantly.

"In about three weeks…and actually its _babies_, we're having twins" Lexie answered, trying to control her giddiness because she always got excited talking about the babies.

"Twins" Thatcher repeated gobsmacked, he couldn't believe that his baby girl was about to have _two _of her own babies.

"Dad…" Lexie whispered but stopped mid sentence; she wasn't really sure what to say.

"Lexie I came here because I was hoping that you would give me a chance to make things right, I know that some of the things I have done are unforgivable but if there's a chance…I mean I don't know how much my word actually means anymore but I swear to you that I have no intentions of ever touching the stuff again" Thatcher explained nervously, it was harder asking for forgiveness than he had originally thought it would be.

Lexie smiled faintly as she took a step forward and hugged Thatcher as much as her stomach would allow her to, he wasn't wrong...there were things that Lexie wouldn't be able to forgive him for.

But if they could find a way work past it all so that their children had at least one active grandparent in Seattle it was worth it.

As Lexie began to pull away she couldn't help but wince as she doubled over in pain, a sudden stabbing sensation hitting her abdomen.

"Lexie are you alright" Thatcher asked in concern, he had been through the whole child birth scenario three times and thought that he knew every pain in the book.

Lexie shook her head, "I'm fine…they just won't stop kicking me" Lexie answered as she tried to play down the amount of pain she was in. But the look on Thatcher's face told her that he didn't believe it for a single second.

"Why don't we get you to the hospital and we can have one of the doctor's check you out" Thatcher suggested with a smile, hoping that it would be enough to placate her into doing what he was asking.

Lexie shook her head as she was about to protest but stopped as she winced in pain again, it was after suddenly feeling a sharper pain than the first one that Lexie had to admit the fact that she was in labour.

She was a doctor and Lexie knew that a baby being born at 36 weeks wasn't really in that much risk, but it still didn't stop fear gripping inside of her. It would have been nice to have the security of those extra three weeks.

"Ok" Lexie answered through gritted teeth as she clutched her father's hand tightly while he led her towards the door. "Wait stop" Lexie cried out as she quickly eased herself onto the couch, Lexie couldn't move…any kind of movement ripped through Lexie's entire body.

"Should I be calling an ambulance?" Thatcher asked with a worried look, calling the paramedics seemed to be the obvious idea considering the amount of pain Lexie seemed to be in.

"Just give me a sec and I'll be good to go" Lexie told her father, she refused to make some huge dramatic entrance into the hospital.

"Lex…" Thatcher began to protest but stopped once he saw the pleading look on her face.

"Please daddy" Lexie whispered as she bit down on her lower lip to try and distract herself from the pain.

Thatcher nodded his head in defeat; he never could refuse her whenever she called him daddy. "Ok whenever you're ready" Thatcher reassured her as he rubbed her back to try and help the pain.

"I'm ready" Lexie declared after a few minutes and Lexie was sure that the pain had subsided for now. Though Lexie was beginning to question whether or not she really was ready for any of this.

**************

"Has anyone seen Dr. Sloan" Izzie cried out off the top of her lungs as she ran down the corridors of the surgical floor, she didn't care that patients, doctors and nurses were looking at her like she was crazy. Her best friend was going into labour and that's all that mattered.

"_Where the hell is Dr. Sloan?"_ Izzie cried out in frustration as she finally reached the surgical board, where it seemed all the remaining Residents and Attendings were gathered together.

"Woah Izz slow down" Alex told Izzie as he chuckled at how crazy she was behaving.

Izzie bent over so she could try and catch her breath as she shook her head, "can't…Lexie….in the pit" Izzie tried to explain as she gasped for air.

"Izzie slow down and take a deep breath" Meredith ordered as she began shaking Izzie by the shoulders. "Now what about Lexie" Meredith asked after giving Izzie a minute to pull herself together.

Izzie took a deep breath, "your dad just came through emergency with Lexie, she's gone into labour and I need to find Sloan _now_".

Suddenly the word labour whipped everyone into action, if it wasn't so serious Izzie would have found it quite funny to see all the Attendings and Residents running around in a circle like headless chickens.

"Shepherd, Sloan just scrubbed in on a surgery on a young man who suffered fourth degree burns. See if you can catch him before he gets started, Torres try and track down Dr. Saunders and tell him that he's needed in O.R. 2 to take over for Sloan" the Chief ordered before turning his attention to the Residents.

"Chief you don't need to tell us" Meredith jumped in before grabbing Izzie's hand and dragging her down the corridors towards Lexie's direction.

**************

"Mark put that scalpel down" Derek called out to Mark as he barged into the O.R. with Callie right behind him.

"What the hell is going on" Mark asked with a frown that was clearly visible even behind his surgical mask.

"Mark just step away from the patient" Callie pleaded with him, neither she or Derek wanted to be telling Mark that his wife had gone into labour three weeks early with him standing so close to a patient and a scalpel in his hand.

"I can't, I've just managed to resect some of this guy's clean skin…if I don't use it now it'll become useless and the clean tissue could become infected" Mark reasoned with them before turning back to his patient.

"Dr. Torres Dr. Saunders is on his way" one of the nurses announced as she quickly walked into the room.

Callie sighed in relief as she looked over at Mark; nothing would get in his way from being there when the babies were born.

"What the hell are you paging Saunders for" Mark asked with a disbelieving smile, he had never really cared for the way that the man practiced medicine.

Callie gave Derek a scowl before turning her attention back to Mark, "oh I don't know, maybe because _we _were thinking that you'd want to be there when your _babies _were actually born" Callie answered casually.

Mark froze as he held a piece of skin in the air, "what did you just say" he asked with a shaky voice.

"Sloan I hear that the Mrs. has gone into labour" Saunders announced as he made his way into the O.R. with a smug grin on his face.

Mark looked at Derek who simply nodded his head as he smiled at his best friend; he then quickly turned to Saunders. "Here, I've already started but I'm sure you can finish it without screwing up" Mark told Saunders as he held the scalpel out to him.

As soon as the doctor took the scalpel from Mark's hand Mark ran out of that O.R. faster than he ever had before.

**************

"Hey" Izzie chanted softly as she walked into Lexie's hospital room with a big smile on her face, Meredith following right behind her.

"Hey" Lexie answered back as she bit down on her bottom lip again, Lexie was pretty sure that if she kept this up her lip would start bleeding soon.

"How are you holding up?" Meredith asked but she paused once she spotted Thatcher sitting in the corner, holding Lexie's hand.

"Not so good, I have another three weeks left yet _Mark's _babies have decided that they're ready to make an early appearance" Lexie explained frustratingly. While she was happy with the prospect of finally getting to hold her babies she was terrified that something was going to go wrong.

"Well Sloan's do like to make an entrance" Izzie stated as she turned to Meredith, "remember when Mark first showed up in Seattle" Izzie asked Meredith with a fond smile on her face.

Meredith shook her head as she softly giggled; of course she remembered Mark's first appearance. How could anyone forget the entrance that Mark had made courtesy of her own husband?

"You know one of you is actually going to have to tell me that story one day" Lexie announced through gritted teeth.

Izzie opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it as Lexie sat up right on the bed and yelped at the pain. Before Izzie had a chance Meredith quickly dashed over to the other side of Lexie and squeezed her hand.

"Derek's gone to get Mark, he should be here any second" Meredith reassured Lexie in a soft whisper as she rubbed Lexie's back until the contraction subsided.

Thatcher sat to the side watching Meredith and the way that she had easily slipped into the role of big sister the minute she waked through the door, suddenly Thatcher felt like he didn't belong there.

"I should go…but I'll come back later" Thatcher announced nervously and walked out the door.

**************

Mark froze in the door way as he watched Lexie gripping onto both Meredith and Izzie's hand as she struggled through a contraction.

"Sloan if your wife breaks my scalpel hand I am going to _kill you_" Izzie exclaimed in mock anger so that he would snap out of it and come back to reality

"Mark" Lexie called out with a big goofy grin on her face; despite how tired and in how much pain she already felt.

"We had a plan remember…three more weeks" Mark softly spoke as he made his way over and took Meredith's place.

"Hey they're your kids, you talk to them" Lexie joked before she was hit by another contraction.

"We'll come back later" Meredith whispered as she and Izzie quietly snuck out of the room, which went completely unnoticed by Mark and Lexie.

"Mark I'm scared" Lexie finally admitted out loud as she squeezed his hand tightly for comfort.

"Hey you are going to be fine…all three of you are going to be fine" Mark reassured Lexie as he stroked her hair. "Just concentrate on the part that comes after, think about the fact that once this is all over you're going to be holding two beautiful little girls" Mark encouraged Lexie before he gently kissed her on the lips.

"I thought they had to be boys" Lexie joked breathlessly as she was hit with another contraction.

Mark shrugged his shoulders, "I think I can live with two girls…but just so we're clear, there's going to be a six mile ban of any boy coming anywhere near either them until they're old and grey…or until I'm dead" Mark joked.

"God help them" Lexie teased with a tired smirk.

**************

Lexie could slowly feel herself waking up from a gruelling 8 hour labour, but as she spotted Mark sitting off to the side hunched over the two baby cribs Lexie couldn't help but smile.

It may have been the most excruciating pain that she had ever felt before, and she may have broken Mark's hand in the process but it was all worth it.

"Hey" Lexie called out in a whisper as she slowly pulled herself up so she could sit properly.

"Hey" Mark greeted her with the most amazing smile that it still took Lexie's breath away.

As Mark made his way over to her and sat down on the bed he instantly saw her gaze travelling over to the babies, Mark let out a soft chuckle as he shook his head. "They're sleeping…just like their mother should be, but if you want I can bring them over" Mark told Lexie.

He was still trying to come to terms that they were actually here, once everything had been done and the babies had been brought to them Mark sat there watching them in full amazement. He was hooked and they already had him wrapped around their tiny little fingers, Mark never thought it was possible to be able to love someone so much after seeing them only once.

But he was already a goner and he knew that he would do anything before he ever let anything happen to any of them. "Thankyou" Mark whispered before quickly crashing his lips against Lexie's and sweeping his tongue through her mouth.

Lexie let out a soft groan as she pulled Mark closer towards her; they reluctantly pulled apart. "So I'm guessing that this six mile radius thingy starts effective immediately" Lexie teased.

"I am so screwed" Mark announced with a sigh, but really he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Yep" Lexie agreed with a smug grin on her face before kissing Mark again, only this time they were forced to pull apart at the sound of Alex's voice.

"Jesus not even 24 hours old and they're already trying to scar the poor kids" Alex teased as Izzie charged past him and straight towards the babies.

"Oh my god they are the most adorable little babies I have ever seen" Izzie declared in a whisper as she jumped up and down in excitement.

Lexie shook her head as she smiled at her best friend, "Izz all baby's are cute" Lexie tried to argue but she could see that it was going on deaf ears.

Callie quickly walked over to take a peak and looked back and forth between the two babies, "we bags this one" Callie announced pointing down to the baby on Izzie's left.

With a frown on her face and shaking her head Meredith stomped over to Callie and Izzie to take a look at the newest members of her family. "You can't bags a baby, that's not how it works" Meredith argued then looked over at Mark and Lexie, "tell them that that's not how it works, they don't get to bags a baby…besides if anyone gets dibs it should be me and Derek, we're _family_" Meredith reasoned with a smug look on her face.

While on the inside Derek was thrilled that Meredith was arguing over which baby she got he couldn't believe that the three women were trying to claim dibs on a baby. "How about you three let Mark and Lexie decide who get's which baby" Derek suggested while giving Mark and Lexie a sympathetic grin.

"So have you two actually named the little minion's?" Cristina asked as she pulled Owen into the room while trying to pretend like she wasn't really that interested.

"Cristina" Izzie gasped as she gently picked up the baby on her left and carried it over to Lexie, "that is no way to talk about two little girls who will one day be calling you aunty Cristina" Izzie scolded her as she softly placed the baby in Lexie's arms.

"Remember this one's ours" Izzie whispered before tiptoeing back over to Alex's side.

"Yeah and this one is McDreamy's" Callie announced as she handed over the second little girl to Mark.

Lexie looked down to take a proper look at her baby girl and it took her breath away, she was a splitting image of Mark…they both were.

Lexie looked over at the mesmerised look on Mark's face as he watched his sleeping daughter in his arms, they were identical twins and Lexie had no idea how they were ever going to tell them apart.

"Well" Meredith asked eagerly, "we can't keep calling them little Sloan's or little monkey anymore…especially when they're identical looking" Meredith explained.

Lexie and Mark smiled at each other, they had finally come to a decision about names three months ago and swore that they wouldn't tell anyone until the babies were born.

"You tell them" Lexie told Mark excitedly, she was beaming with pride because it was actually Mark who had come up with the names.

"Well in that case Derek, Meredith you should probably meet your niece _and _goddaughter Matilda Suzan Sloan" Mark announced with a huge grin as he walked over to Meredith and reluctantly handed the little girl over to her aunt.

"And you two trouble makers" Mark declared looking at Izzie and Callie with a playful grin, "can meet Hailey Olivia Sloan".

Callie and Izzie hi-fived each other with big cheesy grins on their faces, "we get the cuter baby with the cuter name" Callie teased Meredith with a smirk on her face.

"Yeah well Mattie will be the smarter one out of the two" Meredith argued back like a five year old.

"Ok you know what everyone out" Mark declared as he quickly took Mattie from Meredith and walked back over to Lexie.

He knew that Callie, Izzie and Meredith were only mucking around but Mark really wanted everyone out of the room so that he could just enjoy the moment alone with his wife.

"Come on you lot, you heard the man" Derek yelled out loud enough for all of them to hear without waking the babies.

As everyone filed out of the room Derek lagged behind, "in all seriousness, congratulations you guys" Derek beamed before leaving the room.

As the two of them each held a baby in their arms Mark looked back and forth between his two daughters who looked exactly the same, "seriously Lexie how are we supposed to tell them apart?" Mark asked with a worried look.

Lexie shook her head as she smiled at her husband, "easy, that one's Mattie and this ones Hailey" Lexie answered a split second later without even having to think about it. She could see the worry in Mark's eyes that he'd screw this up, "hey remember what you said…it's the part that comes after" Lexie reminded him with a goofy grin.

Mark shook his head as he smiled back, who was he to argue with the woman who had just given birth to his two daughters.

**************

_**See the review button…come on you know you want to**_**.**


	40. Chapter 40

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**Chapter 40**

"What are you doing?" Lexie whispered softly with a smile on her face as she tiptoed over to Mark.

"Just enjoying the view" Mark answered without even looking at Lexie, he was far too busy admiring Mattie and Hailey who were both sound asleep in their crib.

"They're not going anywhere" Lexie pointed out while wrapping her arms around Mark's waist.

It had only been six hours since Lexie and the girls had been released from the hospital and yet Mark had been reluctant to let either one of them out of his sight.

Mark nodded his head without saying a word as he continued to watch his sleeping daughters; he still couldn't believe that they were actually here let alone the fact that they belonged to him.

"Thank you" Mark whispered as he finally looked away from the girls and over to Lexie, for a woman who had only given birth six days ago she still looked like the most beautiful woman in the world as far as Mark was concerned.

"You know you've been saying thank you quite a lot over the last few days but I still have no idea for what" Lexie pointed out with a sweet smile.

Mark cupped Lexie's face in his hands and kissed her softly on the lips, with a six week ban in place Mark had made a rule with himself to keep the touching to a minimum so that he wouldn't drive himself insane.

But it didn't take long before Mark realised that there was no way in hell that he'd ever be able to stick to it. So instead Mark told himself that it was all just a matter of self-control, as long as he had control over the situation and over himself that these six weeks would be breeze.

Mark gently grasped Lexie's hand and led her across the hall over their bedroom so that they wouldn't wake the girls up. He quickly sat down on the bed and pulled Lexie on to his lap, he tightened his grip around Lexie's waist.

"Where do you want me to begin" Mark asked.

"A straight answer would be nice" Lexie replied softly, despite being across the hall Lexie was afraid that the sound of their voices would wake the girls up.

Unfortunately for Mark and Lexie it seemed that their father's looks wasn't the only thing that Hailey and Mattie had inherited from Mark, they were both terribly light sleepers.

"Lexie you know that I'm not Derek or Owen, I don't do the whole talking about your feelings stuff…"

"That's not the man I married" Lexie jumped in with a smirk on her face.

"But still, that doesn't mean I can't thank you for everything you've done" Mark argued back, he had to stop the sudden urge he had to roll his eyes as he heard Lexie scoff.

"Ok just so we're clear…what have I done that requires you to thank me exactly?" Lexie asked with a questioning look on her face.

Mark softly kissed Lexie on her lips, "I'm thanking you for fighting for us even when I probably didn't deserver it and when you had every reason to walk away, for falling in love with me, for marrying me" Mark explained before kissing Lexie sweetly.

Lexie could sense the need and the passion behind that one sweet kiss; she let out a soft moan as she reluctantly pulled away. "You're not going to make the next six weeks easy on either of us are you?" Lexie teased with a smirk.

"See, that's the biggest reason I need to thank you…for seeing who I really am, for realising that somewhere deep down there was a guy in here that was actually worth something. But also for giving me the two most precious little girls on this entire planet and for believing that I was good enough to be their father" Mark explained in a shaky voice.

Even after all the I love yous, a marriage and the birth of Hailey and Mattie, Mark still had this crazy fear that one morning he'd wake up only to find out that it was nothing but a dream…that Lexie was still just an Intern who was in love with O'Malley and he was nothing but an Attending as far as Lexie was concerned.

Lexie swallowed the knot in her throat while she tried really hard not to cry, she looked Mark in the eyes as she began the run her fingers through his hair. "Mark Sloan may not be a man of many words…but when he actually does use them, they're the sweetest and most loving words anyone has ever said to me" Lexie announced with a smile on her face.

Mark finally let go of the breath he had been holding and moved in closer towards Lexie so that he could kiss her when suddenly the phone began to ring. The minute that the phone rang Mark and Lexie had instantly heard a loud cry coming from the girls' room.

Mark groaned in annoyance, "I'm going to kill whoever that is" Mark declared through gritted teeth. From the moment they were born Mark hated hearing the sound of his daughters crying, because it meant that they were upset or unhappy…and those were two things that Mark swore Hailey and Mattie would never be.

"You get the girls, I'll get the phone" Lexie ordered before quickly running over to her side of the bed so she could answer the phone.

"Daddy's coming" Mark called out to the sounds of a crying baby.

Lexie shook her head with a smile, telling herself that Mark was like putty in their hands when it came to the big, bad Plastic surgeon and his daughters.

**************

"Ok which one of you is making all that noise" Mark joked as he walked over to the crib and was surprised to find that while Mattie was crying her eyes out Hailey was still sound asleep.

"Did the phone wake you up huh?" Mark asked softly with a smile as he gently picked Mattie up and began to cradle her in his arms.

As soon as Mattie heard her father's voice and felt being held in his arms she immediately stopped crying. Holding her hands out in fascination, Mattie quietly laid in Mark's arms as she continued to look up at Mark with a matching pair of blue eyes.

Mark shook his head with a smirk on his face, "you know if you wanted me to hold you, you could have just said so" Mark teased with a funny little voice, a voice that seemed to get a smile out of Mattie.

Mark felt his heart stop as he looked down at his smiling daughter while she laid there in Mark's arms; her smile was the splitting image of Lexie's. "God help me" Mark declared with a shake of his head, if Mattie and Hailey _both _had the exact same smile as their mother's then Mark knew that there was no doubt about it…he would officially be screwed.

He knew that from now on all they'd have to do is smile at him and Mark would cave no matter what. "You and your sister better not get any ideas of tag teaming against me with your mother" Mark warned Mattie.

Despite not being able to really understand her father Mattie seemed to have found something funny about it as she let out a squeal of laughter. Mark shook his head as he moved to put Mattie back down but stopped once he saw that Hailey was wide awake as well.

"You know it would be really good if the two of you weren't so much like your old man and actually slept like baby's should" Mark suggested.

Both girls smiled at the sound of their father's voice, "well since you're both up then I guess we may as well discuss the small matter of house rules" Mark declared as he gently picked Hailey up.

Mark still couldn't believe that he had ever been worried about being able to tell Hailey and Mattie apart when they were first born. Lexie had been right all along, while Mark couldn't explain it he just knew…all he had to do was look at their tiny little faces and Mark immediately knew who Mattie was and who Hailey was.

Holding a baby in each arm Mark carefully made his way over to the rocking chair, which Carolyn had bought for Lexie, and sat down. "Now if you two are going to be living under my roof then there are a few ground rules that you're going to have to abide by" Mark declared with a stern look on his face.

Both Hailey and Mattie seemed to find Mark's serious face quite amusing and began to smile at him.

Mark shook his head in disbelief, while he could make an Intern cower in fear and cry his own daughters found him amusing.

"So neither of you are buying the tough guy act huh?" Mark asked in mock disappointment, deep down Mark was grateful because the last thing he wanted was for his daughters to be terrified of him.

While Mark wasn't sure in how to go about it he did know that he wanted Hailey and Mattie to feel safe around him, to know that he would do anything to protect them and more importantly that no matter what they could always come to him.

"Ok rule number one, when mommy and daddy are sleeping you two are sleeping, you got that ladies?" Mark declared with a smile. "Rule number two, whenever mommy and day tell you to do something then you have to do it. Rule number three, you can't give mommy such a hard time when daddy's at work because it's a hard job looking after two babies at once" Mark explained softly in a silly voice.

Lexie stood in the doorway, going unnoticed by Mark who was too caught up in his conversation with the girls. Lexie couldn't help but smile as she watched Mark sitting there and just talking to his daughters like they could understand everything he was saying to them. Lexie couldn't believe that Mark ever doubted his ability to be a good father.

"And finally rule number four, actually it's the most important rule out of all of them so you two better listen carefully to me…no matter what daddy does, no matter how silly, or how stupid, or how mean it might be, the two of you have to _always love your daddy_" Mark declared with a shaky voice, he knew that it was silly but there was apart of him that felt the need to say it out loud.

Lexie had to force herself not to cry as she heard Mark say those words; while Mark's fears seemed to be irrational to her and to everyone else they were very real to Mark. Lexie could slowly feel the guilt creeping up on her as she felt like an intruder, here Mark was trying to have a quite daddy daughter moment and she was listening in on it.

Lexie quietly tiptoed away from door before Mark noticed that she was there and then headed back towards the door, hoping that Mark was completely oblivious to it all. "Hey" Lexie called out quietly, "it's the Chief" Lexie whispered pointing to the phone which she was holding against her chest.

Mark shook his head as to tell her that he wasn't taking any phone calls from the hospital; he had already informed the Chief that he wouldn't be going into work for the next two weeks.

"He says it's important" Lexie added with a pleading look on her face for him to take it, they both knew that if Mark didn't take the call then the Chief would just keep ringing…he could be a very stubborn man.

Mark sighed as he slowly rose from the chair and made his way to the crib so that he could put Mattie and Hailey back down.

The instant that the two little girls felt their father let go of them they both began to cry, in some twisted way Mark felt happy about it. To know that his daughters would rather be held by him then lying in a crib gave him a sense of pride.

"I won't be long" Mark told Lexie as he kissed her on the cheek and quickly took the phone from her.

"Richard" Mark answered over the phone as he stood in the doorway and watched Lexie try to settle Hailey and Mattie down, he then walked away.

"I know, I know, you want daddy" Lexie spoke softly as she tried to calm the girls down, apparently her voice didn't have the same soothing affect that Mark's had on them.

Mark hadn't been joking when he said that he wouldn't be long, not even a second after Lexie had finally managed to calm the girls down Mark reappeared with an annoyed look on his face.

Lexie could read Mark like an open book and his demeanour was clearly telling her that the conversation he had just had with the Chief wasn't a friendly one.

"Everything ok" Lexie asked with a concerned look on her face.

Mark silently nodded his head as he reached out and picked Hailey up, she instantly smiled at him. "Hey there my little munchkin" Mark called out softly before kissing her lightly on the head.

Lexie shook her head with a mocking glare, "this is unbelievable…I carried them for _eight months_ yet they like you better" Lexie announced while trying not to grin.

Lexie wasn't the jealous type and nor did she have a reason to be, Lexie loved the fact that Hailey and Matter were so receptive to Mark. She could see the burst of pride and love that was clearly etched on to his face whenever his daughters chose him over Lexie.

"What can I say, the Grey women have impeccable taste…well all except for one that is because I'm still questioning Meredith's" Mark teased as he lent over towards Lexie and kissed her on the cheek.

"I'll tell Derek you said that" Lexie threatened with a playful grin.

"You do that" Mark told her as he looked back down at Hailey, "because we're not afraid of uncle Derek are we Hailey…no we're not, uncle Derek's not scary, he's nothing but big cuddly teddy bear" Mark answered in a silly voice as he shook his head at Hailey.

Lexie couldn't help but giggle at the silly way Mark was talking to Hailey, "I'd stop that if I was you otherwise you're going to start talking to all your patients like that…yes you are, yea you are" Lexie teased, mocking the silly voice that Mark had just used a second earlier.

"Mommy's a mean mommy" Mark cried with a pout, pretending to be really hurt by her actions.

Hailey smiled again at the funny face that Mark was making, while Mattie let out a soft cooing sound just to remind her parents that there were _two _of them.

Lexie shook her head as she picked up Mattie who also smiled at being held by one of her parents.

Mark smirked as he looked back and forth between Hailey and Mattie, "how did we end up with two _happy and smiley _babies?" Mark asked with a playful grin.

Lexie sighed, "I should have known that this day would come, Mark I'm sorry to tell you this but…the truth is that Derek is Hailey and Mattie's real father" Lexie teased with a goofy grin on her face.

"Not funny" Mark panned while trying not to let a grin slip out, "I was only stating a fact" Mark argued. If this had happened two years ago and Lexie had made that exact same joke Mark knew that it would have hurt, but he could honestly say without a doubt that it didn't.

He knew that Lexie was joking and it didn't bother him, besides Mark already knew in the back of his mind that if god forbid something ever happened to him there would be no one else he'd want being a father figure to Hailey and Mattie other than Derek.

Lexie rolled her eyes, "well I'm sorry that it disappoints you that _your_ children aren't all dark and twisty like you and Meredith" Lexie teased.

Mark shrugged his shoulders, "I guess I'll just have to learn to live with it" Mark answered casually. But deep down Mark was grateful that his daughters had the same happy disposition as their mother, Mark didn't want his daughter to turn out to be anything like him…to fear in trusting people or to fear loving someone when they're adults.

"What did the Chief want?" Lexie asked again, she wasn't going to let Mark off the hook that easily.

"Nothing" Mark answered casually; he really didn't want to get into it right now.

"Mark that might work on everyone else but it won't work on me, you're forgetting that I know you Mark Sloan" Lexie argued softly, she didn't want to scare Mattie or Hailey.

Mark sighed as he shook his head, "honestly Lexie it's nothing, he just wanted to know whether I'd be able to go into the hospital because they have an emergency that requires an ENT" Mark explained.

"What time are you going to be home?" Lexie asked without even considering the fact that Mark would have told the Chief no.

Mark frowned while trying not to get mad at Lexie, "I love how you just assume that I'm ready and willing to drop everything that's going on here and go back to the hospital" Mark argued in disbelief.

It hurt Mark to know that Lexie thought he'd be willing to walk away from them so easily just for the sake of the hospital.

"Mark" Lexie called out to his retreating back, "it's not like there's really much going on here that you'd be dropping for the hospital. Besides, I'm not saying that you have no problem walking away from us…I know that you never would, I just don't want you to feel like you have to choose between being a surgeon and being a father" Lexie explained with a pleading look for him to understand.

Mark sighed as he turned around, still holding Hailey in his arms. "Lexie there's no choice to be made, if it's a choice between being a surgeon and being a father to Mattie and Hailey they'll always win. My father always put his career ahead of me; he always made sure that I knew he thought of me as nothing more than an interference to his career…and I _refuse _to do that to Hailey or Mattie" Mark argued passionately before walking out of the room with Hailey still in his arms.

Lexie looked down at Mattie who was no longer smiling at her; it was almost as thought Mattie knew that her father was upset and that Lexie was to blame for it. "Mommy made a booboo" Lexie declared with a sad look on her face, she hated being the one to upset Mark.

**************

Dinner had been a quiet affair between the to of them, while Mattie and Hailey had already been feed and put to bed, Mark and Lexie sat in complete silence as they ate their own dinner.

Lexie had to stop herself from cringing at the sound of Mark's plate banging as he practically threw it into the kitchen sink before he stormed off into the living room.

Lexie sighed as she rose from her seat and began to clear the table, she hated fighting with Mark. While it didn't happen very often, when they did have a fight it would always end up being a big one.

As she stood there washing the dishes Lexie could feel the tears sliding down her cheeks while the sound of her cries were covered by the running water. Lexie had spent the whole afternoon trying to apologise to Mark but he wouldn't hear it, apparently she had well and truly hurt him and right now he needed to be mad at her.

Lexie could hear footsteps coming towards her so she quickly turned the water and began to wipe her eyes; she didn't want Mark to know that she had been crying or to make him feel guilty.

Unfortunately Lexie wasn't quick enough and Mark did manage to get a glimpse of her wiping her eyes, he didn't need to be a genius to know that she had been crying.

Mark felt like a complete ass, he knew that he had overreacted but by the time he had realised that this little silent fight they seemed to have going on had gone way too far for him to stop it.

Lexie didn't want to push her luck with him, so deciding that Mark just needed some time alone she had every intention of just checking up on the girls and going straight to bed. "I'm going to head up" Lexie answered flatly as she tried to keep the all emotion out of her voice.

Mark cringed at the sound of Lexie being so cold and distant, suddenly Mark felt a shiver run down his spine as he remembered that day at the hospital…the day he had seen how distant Miranda and Tucker had been towards each other.

"Lexie" Mark cried out in a panic before walking down the hallway in big strides to catch up to her and wrapped his arms around Lexie and held on to her tightly, almost desperately.

"Mark" Lexie called out hesitantly as she stroked the back of his hair; she sighed in relief at the feeling of being held in his arms.

"I'm sorry" Mark apologised before kissing her on the cheek, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry" Mark repeated over and over again as he kissed her on the lips in between each apology. He was desperate for Lexie to believe him, for her to know that he still loved her and always would.

Lexie shook her head in protest, "you don't have anything to apologise for" Lexie whispered softly against his ear. "I'm the one that should be sorry, but Mark I need you to know that I wasn't trying to compare you to Carter…believe me when I say that you being Carter Sloan is the furthest thing from reality".

"I know" Mark whispered while resting his forehead against Lexie's, "I just overreacted, I'm sorry and I'll try to make it up to you" Mark swore.

Lexie smiled as she wrapped her arms around Mark's neck, "Well then you'll just have to save that apology for another six weeks" Lexie informed him with a seductive smirk.

Mark shook his head as he crashed his lips down on top of Lexie's in a desperate and hungry kiss, praying like hell that Lexie understood just how sorry he was. It was insane he knew that, but there was a part of him that felt like he couldn't breathe properly not being able to share the most intimate action with his wife.

"Mark she just had two babies, give the woman a break" Derek called out with a smile on his face.

Mark and Lexie reluctantly broke apart as they turned too look at Derek who was standing in the doorway of the front door. "I thought I locked the front door" Mark commented to Lexie with a frown on his face.

"You did" Derek answered before waving his key in the air.

"We need to collect the spare keys that they all have or change the locks" Mark ordered Lexie while trying not to smile at Derek.

"You do that, and then Lexie will just give Meredith another key" Derek answered casually as he walked into the living room and flopped down onto the couch with his feet propped up on the coffee table.

"You don't live here anymore" Mark pointed out to Derek with a smirk on his face before joining Derek on the couch.

Lexie shook her head in disbelief, sometimes she really couldn't believe how Mark's demeanour would change like the flip of a switch.

"Meredith's working late so I figured I'd drop by and check on my two favourite little nieces" Derek explained with a proud smile on his face.

"Ooh I'm telling Katie and Emma" Mark chanted with a smirk on his face.

"Are you hungry Derek, because we have some left over's from dinner?" Lexie asked; Derek wasn't any different to Mark when it came to work and food. The two of them would always get so caught up with surgery's that they ignored their own stomachs.

"That would be great" Derek answered as he made himself more comfortable on the couch, "uhh life can't get any better than this" Derek declared as Lexie walked away.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mark asked curiously at the big cheesy grin on Derek's face.

"I'm just saying, right now life's great…I have an amazing wife who I have great sex with and I have a sister who feeds me" Derek explained.

Mark smirked as he shook his head, "you know what would be even better, if you had a wife who gave you great sex _and _knew how to cook" Mark teased.

"Hey I ain't looking for any miracles buddy" Derek joked; the day Meredith learnt how t cook would be the day that Derek retired from the O.R.

"Hey" Owen called out as he walked into the living room and sat down in the arm chair.

"Meredith and Derek don't live here anymore, so why are you people still treating this place like grand central station?" Mark asked teasingly. Since their wedding Mark, Derek and Owen had become really good friends. It was to the point where Mark and Derek were just as protective over Owen as they were with each other.

"Hey Owen" Lexie greeted the trauma surgeon with a smile, at first Lexie had felt awkward referring to Owen by his first name but Cristina took care of that. She had warned Lexie, telling her that if she didn't knock it off with the Dr. Hunt thing then she'd be in charge of all rectal exams.

"Hey Lexie" Owen answered back as he eyed the food which Lexie was passing over to Derek.

Derek sighed in contentment as he took a sniff of the food from the hot bowl, "you had chicken curry and didn't tell me" Derek scolded Mark before taking a bite.

Mark rolled his eyes as he shook his head, "jeez Derek I'm sorry that feeding you wasn't on the top of my list of priorities" Mark teased.

"Owen would you like some?" Lexie asked, trying to ignore the little childish act going on between Mark and Derek.

"No thank you Lexie" Owen answered Lexie with a smile.

Derek had leaned forward and was about to take a bit from the food on his fork when he felt Mark jab him in his side, "why can't you be like Hunt?" Mark asked.

Derek frowned as he looked back and forth between Mark and Owen, "like what?" Derek asked.

"Like a friend who doesn't actually _cost me money_, a friend who isn't trying to eat and drink me out of a home" Mark joked.

"Actually Lexie I could really go for a beer" Owen spoke up with a faint smile on his face.

"Looks like you spoke too soon" Derek informed Mark with a smug grin on his face before taking another bite of his food.

Mark and Derek's bantering was interrupted by the sudden sound of a crying baby coming through the baby monitor, "Mark can you can grab Owen a beer while I go and check on the girls" Lexie asked with a sweet smile.

"He knows where the fridge is, he can get one himself" Mark argued as he emphasised with his hand that he was far too comfortable on the couch to move.

Lexie shook her head refusing to say anything; instead she turned on her heel and began to walk towards the stairs.

"Hey Lexie make sure you tell them that their favourite uncle's here" Derek called out with a smile.

"Yeah, they'll be excited to hear that Owen's here" Mark cried out over Derek's voice.

Lexie let out a small giggle as she climbed the stairs and left the men to their male bonding time.

"Why do you have to be so mean" Derek asked with a grin on his face.

"Because I now live in a house with _three _girls, I can't be mean to them so I have to take it out on someone" Mark joked.

"Why don't you take it out on Owen" Derek asked with a curious look on his face.

Mark couldn't help but scoff as he got up from the couch, "because his army and I ain't dumb enough to mess with a trained killer".

"Uh excuse me" Owen called out as he held a finger up, "I was a trained _medic _not an actual soldier" Owen jumped in.

Mark and Derek looked at each other before looking back at Owen, "who asked you?" Mark teased before going to get Owen his beer.

"Hey get me one to" Derek called out before taking the last bite of his food, but Derek had to stop himself from choking when he saw the small blue velvet box Owen placed on the coffee table.

"You need to stop treating this place like a hotel…" Mark was saying as he walked into the living room holding three beers, but he immediately paused as soon as he spotted what Derek had been looking at.

"What the hell is that?" Mark asked as he passed Owen his beer and held one out to Derek; Derek was still too shocked by the little blue box so Mark had to nudge Derek on the shoulder to get him to snap out of it.

Derek shook his head before taking the beer and he took a very long swig of it, he still remembered as plain as day the last time Cristina Yang had been a part of the whole wedding scene.

Mark sat down and looked at the little blue box intensely with a terrified look on is face; Owen hadn't made any suggestions that he was ready to take this sort of step with Cristina. But that wasn't the part that scared him, "does he know about the other thing?" Mark asked Derek as he looked back and forth between Owen and the box out of the corner of his eye.

Derek opened his mouth and was about to say something when Owen jumped in, "I know about Burke" Owen reassured Mark.

"Yeah and did you notice how the whole diamond ring scenario didn't work out for him" Mark asked with a sympathetic smile. He knew that Owen was the marrying and settling down kind of guy, but he just wasn't so sure about Cristina.

"It's not a ring" Owen answered smugly.

"Then what is it" Derek asked with a frown as he picked up the velvet box and turned it around in his hand, examining the box like it had the cure to cancer.

"It's a medal" Owen answered simply.

"A medal" Mark repeated with a disbelieving look on his face.

"It's the medal that was awarded to me for honourable conduct under heavy fire before I was discharged from the Army" Owen explained sheepishly.

"And you want to use _this_" Derek asked while waving the box around, "to ask Yang to marry you?"

Owen eagerly nodded his head, "I see the way that you two have built these lives with Meredith and Lexie and I want that. So I'm hoping that if I give this to Cristina then I'm showing to her that I want to move forward…that while I still have a long way to go before I can ever really let go of Iraq I'm willing to try if it means building a future with her" Owen explained.

He sighed in relief as he let that all out because Mark and Derek were the first ones he had ever admitted all of this to.

"Guess you'll never know till you ask" Derek told him as he tossed Owen the blue box.

Mark shook his head in disbelief, "you're an idiot" Mark told Derek before turning his head to Owen. "You can't just go up to Yang and ask her to marry you without any kind of warning" Mark told Owen.

"Why not" Owen asked Mark with a frown.

"Ok you weren't here during the whole Meredith and Derek drama, but when Derek first asked Meredith to move in with him she freaked…I mean _freaked_ to the point where the two of them broke up…"

"But that's ancient history" Derek jumped in while trying to figure out where the hell Mark was going with this.

"That may be so" Mark answered, "but Yang and Meredith are the same. The two of them don't deal well with surprises let alone with _happy _surprises. If you just throw this on her she'll freak" Mark explained. He wasn't trying to deter Owen or convince him that he wasn't going to have the life he wants; Mark was just trying to give Owen some advice.

"He's right" Derek declared, he couldn't believe that with his first hand experience of Meredith that Mark was giving Owen better advice at dealing with Cristina.

"So what do you suggest then" Owen asked Mark with an appreciative look on his face for all the help he could get.

Mark shook his head with a smile, "a trauma surgeon and a neurosurgeon need _me _to tell them how to succeed in their love lives…oh how the mighty have fallen" Mark declared with a smug smile.

"Just tell him already" Derek ordered while trying not to smile at Mark.

Mark sighed, "look it's not rocket science…Derek's wife just 'happens' to be Yang's person. So just ask Meredith to throw around a few ideas in front of Cristina, you know mention the subject and see what Yang's reaction to it is" Mark suggested.

"Hey that's not bad" Owen told him with an excited look on his face, having Meredith do a bit of digging for him would be better than making himself look like an idiot.

"What's not a bad idea" Lexie asked as she walked into the living and stood beside Mark.

"Owen here wants to ask Yang to marry him and have some of their own little Hunt's" Mark explained with a sweet smile on his face.

"Tactfulness isn't one of your strong suits is it?" Owen asked as he shook his head in disbelief at Mark and the way he just announced Owen's intentions.

Mark smirked as he wrapped an arm around Lexie's waist and pulled her down on to his lap, Lexie let out a little squeal as she felt herself falling down. Mark looked back and forth between Derek and Owen, "please raise your hand if you're happily married _and _have two beautiful baby girls currently sleeping?" Mark asked with a smile.

Derek and Owen both shook their heads while trying not to grin at the idiot that they both considered being one of their best friends.

"What do you know I guess I'm the only one" Mark announced smugly before looking at Owen, "I can really see how my lack of _tactfulness _has really been my downfall" Mark announced with a cheesy grin.

**************

_**See the review button…come on you know you want to**_**.**


	41. Chapter 41

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**Chapter 41**

Lexie was startled awake by the sound of a banging noise coming from down stairs, she quickly sat up and turned the light on.

Looking over at Mark Lexie could see that he was sound asleep, shaking her head and thinking that she was just hearing things Lexie turned the light off to go back to sleep.

But as soon as she settled back into bed she heard the noise again, "Mark" Lexie called out while jabbing him on the arm to wake him up.

Mark flinched and turned on his side so that his back was facing Lexie.

"Mark" Lexie hissed again only this time slapping him on the back.

"Ow, what the hell did you do that for?" Mark asked with his eyes closed.

"I think there's someone in the house" Lexie whispered over his shoulder.

Mark nodded his head still half asleep, "that's nice" Mark mumbled not really having heard what Lexie had told him.

Lexie sighed as she shook her head, deciding that Mark was useless to her Lexie moved to get out of bed when suddenly there was a loud crash coming from downstairs

"What the hell was that?" Mark asked, sitting upright and fully awake.

Lexie rolled her eyes, "I'm surprised that you actually heard that" she commented sarcastically as she moved towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Mark asked as he practically jumped up off of the bed and grabbed Lexie by the hand.

"I'm going down stairs to check what that noise was" Lexie answered with a disbelieving look on her face.

Mark shook his head with a frown, "you stay here and I'll check it out" Mark told her before walking towards the door.

"Oh my big brave hero" Lexie teased sarcastically.

"Just stay here" Mark ordered before walking out the door.

Quietly tiptoeing down the stairs Mark could see the light coming from the kitchen along with the soft sounds of a muttering voice. As he inched closer towards the kitchen he could see a body crouched down on to the floor near the kitchen sink.

"Yang, what the hell are you doing?" Mark growled as he watched Cristina pick up the pieces of a shattered porcelain mug from the floor.

"Did three really feel the need to rearrange the mugs in this house, I knew where everything was when Mere lived here" Cristina argued in annoyance.

"Yeah well may I remind you that Mere doesn't live here anymore, and besides what _sane _person breaks into somebody's house for a cup of coffee at 3 o'clock in the morning" Mark barked while throwing the broken cup into the bin.

"Sorry" Cristina muttered.

Mark opened his mouth to lecture Cristina some more but stoped the minute he saw the look on Cristina's face. Cristina stood there looking very scared and very vulnerable to Mark and it was unnerving him, he had never seen Cristina like that before.

Mark sighed as he rubbed his eyes, "wait here" he ordered before heading back up stairs.

"What's going on?" Lexie asked, having just walked out of the girls' room from checking up on them.

Mark jumped, "what the hell is it with you women and trying to scare me to death?" Mark asked with an unhappy look on his face.

"Sorry" Lexie apologised sheepishly.

"There's someone here to see you" Mark informed Lexie while nudging his head towards the staircase.

Lexie frowned at Mark's comment, "who?" she asked. Lexie couldn't believe that somebody would be paying her a visit at 3am.

"Don't take too long" Mark ordered before heading back to bed, not even answering Lexie's question.

**************

"Cristina" Lexie called out in disbelief that her Resident was standing in the middle of her kitchen.

Cristina turned around to face Lexie, "let's just get one thing straight…I'm not here because I like you or because I consider you a friend. I'm here because my person is on the other side of the country in freakin New York until Friday and if I told Izzie she'd get all happy and smiley on me…"

"Cristina" Lexie called out in the hopes of stoping Cristina's rambling.

The two stood in complete silence as they eyed each other off, despite Cristina's reluctance to admit it Lexie had become a friend. She had somehow wormed her way into the group and even Cristina had grown used to it.

Whereas on the other hand Lexie was cautious when it came to Cristina, while she and Izzie had become best friends and her relationship with Meredith was better then ever Cristina was a different story. Lexie had to approach Cristina carefully otherwise she could scare her off.

"I'm engaged" Cristina finally blurted out casually as though it wasn't really any big deal.

Lexie nodded her head and walked over to the sink to make them some coffee without even saying a word.

Cristina sat down at the kitchen bench and watched Lexie as she rummaged around the kitchen for mugs, "why aren't you say anything? Why aren't you jumping up and down and squealing like an idiot?" Cristina asked with a frown.

While she was still trying to process the fact that Owen had asked her to marry him Cristina couldn't help but feel a bit hurt that Lexie wasn't excited for her.

Lexie shook her head, "If you wanted happy and smiley, if you wanted someone to jump and squeal you would have gone to Izzie" Lexie pointed out, "but you don't, you need your person and right now Meredith isn't here. So I'm just doing what Meredith would have done if she was here" Lexie explained as she passed Cristina her coffee.

Cristina raised the mug to take a sip but suddenly pulled it away, "or maybe you're not doing the whole happy and smiley thing because you don't think that Owen and I are going to last…you think that his just another Burke" Cristina exclaimed as she worked herself up into full blown panic attack.

Lexie rolled her eye with a disbelieving look on her face, "you're not just dark and twisty, you're _insane_" Lexie pointed out as she shook her head.

"Am not" Cristina argued back.

Lexie scoffed, "are to, look at you Cristina" Lexie answered while pointing to her Resident. "You're sitting in my kitchen at 3am comparing Owen to Dr. Burke…now I know that I wasn't here through the whole Burke drama, but I'm pretty sure that Owen isn't Burke".

Cristina sighed in annoyance, Lexie hit the nail on the head and Cristina hated that about Lexie. The woman was far too smart and far too intuitive for her own good, but that still didn't mean Cristina wasn't freaked out.

While she had said yes to Owen there was a part of Cristina that was terrified that Owen would want the whole church wedding like Burke did and then dump her at the alter.

"How do you know?" Cristina asked sheepishly, she hated showing her vulnerability to anyone let alone an Intern.

"Did he give you a diamond ring?" Lexie asked despite already knowing the answer, just the fact that Owen hadn't should have told Cristina everything she needed to know as far as Lexie was concerned.

Cristina reached into her pocket and pulled out the blue velvet box that still housed Owen's medal, "he gave me this" Cristina explained while pointing at it.

"Cristina the man _knows _you; he gave you a war medal instead of a diamond ring for god sake. So stop trying to create a problem where there isn't one and forget about Burk" Lexie snapped in a very Meredith sort of way.

"Ok" Cristina answered flatly.

"Ok" Lexie repeated hesitantly because she didn't buy that talking Cristina down was really that easy.

"Ok" Cristina answered while trying not to smile.

"So we're good then?" Lexie asked; she knew that if she wasn't completely certain that Cristina was ok then shed never be able to fall asleep.'

"We're good" Cristina reassured Lexie while actually allowing herself to smile; she couldn't help but sigh in relief because it actually was the truth. She felt fine; Lexie had talked her off the ledge and she could now breathe a little bit easier.

"Well with that crisis diverted I'm going to bed because I have two little babies that are going to be up in a little less than three hours" Lexie explained while spilling the coffee that hadn't been touched.

"Babies get up that early?" Cristina asked with a disturbed look on her face.

Lexie giggled as she shook her head at Cristina, "babies don't know how to tell time Cristina" Lexie joked.

"Now, I'm not offering because we're friends or because I like you but" Lexie teased mimicking Cristina's opening speech, "if you want you can take Alex's old room for the night".

Cristina looked at the clock and saw that it was nearly 4am, "if you insist" Cristina answered. Cristina tried to make it sound like she was doing it to help Lexie out, not because she wanted to.

The two of them climbed the stairs, each going in their separate direction. "Lexie" Cristina called out as she held onto the door knob of Alex's old room.

Lexie spun on her heel with a surprised look on her face; she couldn't remember the last time that Cristina had called her Lexie.

"You didn't do too badly as a stand in Meredith for your first attempt" Cristina commented.

Lexie smiled because she knew that was as close as she was ever going to get to hearing Cristina Yang say thank you, "well just don't make it a habit" Lexie joked.

Cristina nodded her head knowing that it was Lexie's way of saying _anytime_; Cristina quietly sneaked into the room and went to bed.

Lexie entered her own room and shook her head with a smirk on her face, Mark laid sprawled out in the middle of the bed. Lexie walked over to her side and nudged Mark to move over but he was out like a light.

With a wicked smile on her face Lexie raised a pillow off from the floor and hit Mark squarely on the chest with it.

"Huh, what's going on?" Mark asked groggily as he looked over at Lexie who was holding the pillow.

"Did you just hit me with a pillow…while I was _asleep_" Mark asked in disbelief while trying not to smile.

Lexie shook her head with a smile as she dropped the pillow and crawled into bed, "serves you right for hogging the bed" Lexie teased.

"Oh so it's my fault is it" Mark stated with a smirk, quickly pinning Lexie underneath him.

"Yep" Lexie answered with a smug look on her face.

Mark shook his head and quickly bent down; covering her mouth with his Mark's fingers quickly began to skim across Lexie's collarbone.

"Mark" Lexie cried out through a moan, he was driving her insane and she knew that he knew.

Mark sighed as he dropped his head to the side of Lexie's neck, "I know _six weeks_" Mark repeated bitterly.

Lexie let out a small giggle before kissing Mark on his temple, "I promise that in six weeks I'll make it up to you".

Mark immediately perked up, "maybe we could even palm Mattie and Hailey off to Derek and Meredith for the night" Mark suggested a little too eagerly.

Lexie shook her head while she tried really hard not to laugh at Mark's excitement. "Seriously…you want to kick your daughters out of the house just so you can have sex?" Lexie asked.

"Hey after _six weeks_ I plan on doing things to you that those two little girls shouldnot be hearing" Mark answered with a seductive smile.

"Ok get off me" Lexie ordered, slapping Mark on his shoulder.

"Why?" Mark asked playing dumb.

"Because if you keep talking like that and we stay like this I'm going to end up doing something that I'm not _allowed _to be doing" Lexie answered.

"I'm pretty comfortable where I am thank you very much" Mark commented before wriggling his body on top of Lexie's for an added affect. As the sensation of it hit him Mark let out a small groan in pleasure and in frustration.

"I'm betting that hurt you more than it hurt me" Lexie teased.

"Shut up" Mark pouted; quickly rolling off of Lexie and curled himself up into a ball with his back to Lexie.

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	42. Chapter 42

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**Chapter 42**

"Cristina!" Callie called out as she barged through the front door frantically, "Cristina!" she called out again while walking in and out of the living room and the kitchen in search of Cristina.

Callie had worked herself up into a panic the instant she got Cristina's 911 page, worst case scenarios were running through her head as she quickly made her way over to the house.

"_Cristina!"_ Callie exclaimed in fear and frustration as she quickly ran up the stairs in a panic.

"Cristina where the hell are you" Callie called out as she charged down the hallway, checking all the rooms before finally entering Hailey and Mattie's.

Callie stoped dead in her tracks as soon as she spotted Cristina standing over Mattie and Hailey's crib. "Cristina what was the 911? Are Hailey and Mattie ok?" Callie asked in a panic.

Cristina turned on her heel with a blank look on her face, "I don't do diapers" she declared as she held up a clean diaper.

"Seriously" Callie snapped in complete disbelief and anger, "seriously, you…you paged…uh, uh" Callie struggled to say. She had become so worked up that she wasn't even able to speak.

"What?" Cristina asked innocently, not really understanding why Callie was so wound up.

"What" Callie retorted in exasperation as she snatched the diaper out of Cristina's hand. "You paged me 911 for a _diaper change_" Callie hissed through gritted teeth while waving the diaper in the air.

"I don't do diapers" Cristina answered casually like it really wasn't a big deal.

Callie ran her hand through her hair as she took a deep breath to try and calm herself down, "Cristina I left a patient lying in the pit with so many broken bones that they were literally piercing through his skin…"

"What did you do that for?" Cristina asked, looking at Callie like she was insane.

"I don't know Cristina, maybe it was because you paged me 911 and said that you needed me at Mark and Lexie's _asap_" Callie declared sarcastically.

"I don't…"

"Yeah you don't do diapers, I got the message already" Callie repeated, shaking her head in disbelief. Callie rubbed her eyes, "Cristina you don't page someone 911 for a diaper change…especially when there are babies involved. My head went to places that it had no business going to, I was expecting a broken baby or…or one that wasn't breathing".

"Please" Cristina answered with a soft giggle, "I'm not an idiot. If it was something like that I would have brought them to the hospital" Cristina defended with a smirk on her face.

"What's the emergency'?" Izzie asked, suddenly standing in the doorway.

Callie looked over her shoulder at Izzie and then back at Cristina with a glare, "you paged Stevens 911 as well" Callie asked while pointing over her shoulder.

"Actually I paged Izzie first, but _someone _didn't answer" Cristina explained, giving Izzie an exasperated look.

Izzie frowned in disbelief, "I was in surgery holding a man's heart in my hands Cristina…"

"Wait, what…why, why were you holding a heart?" Cristina asked in a panic, worried that she was missing out on something great. "You shouldn't have been holding a heart, I'm the hardcore Cardio" Cristina began to ramble.

Callie clapped her hands close to Cristina's face, "Cristina focus" Callie ordered with a stern look.

"Why am I here?" Izzie asked, quickly losing her patience with Callie and Cristina.

"Cristina doesn't do diapers" Callie explained with a sarcastically sweet smile as she waved the diaper in the air.

Izzie looked back and forth between Callie and Cristina as she let it sink in, "seriously" Izzie exclaimed in disbelief.

"What, you two are the godmothers…baby poo should be your problem not mine" Cristina answered defensively.

"Did you page anyone else?" Callie asked in complete disbelief that a woman who was obsessed with cutting people open couldn't handle changing a diaper.

"I paged Izzie but she didn't answer so I called Bailey but she hung up one me…"

"Smart woman" Callie muttered under her breath.

"Hey I heard that" Cristina informed Callie.

Izzie shook her head in disbelief, "give me the damn diaper" Izzie ordered before quickly snatching it from Callie.

"Now which one of you two needs their diaper change?" Izzie asked with a sweet smile.

Hailey and Mattie lay side by side with matching smiles on their faces; they apparently found the sounds of their voices quite amusing.

"Izz they're babies, they can't actually answer you" Cristina pointed out while looking at Izzie like she had suddenly grown a second head.

Izzie rolled her eyes and shook her head, "why don't you two just go downstairs and let me take care of Mattie and Hailes" Izzie suggested without looking away from either of the babies.

"Don't need to tell me twice" Cristina answered, quickly turning on her heels and walking out the door.

"You got this?" Callie asked; she wanted to make sure that Izzie had things under control before she went downstairs with Cristina.

Izzie quietly nodded her head, hunched over and making silly faces at the girls while she began to change their diapers.

"Good" Callie stated before following Cristina out the door.

**************

Not taking Izzie more than five minutes to change both girls Izzie quickly made her way downstairs to find Cristina and Callie sitting on the couch, feet propped up on the coffee table.

"Where are Mark and Lexie?" Izzie asked curiously, "because no offence or anything Cristina but I'm pretty sure that leaving his daughters in your hands is the last thing Mark would ever do" Izzie joked.

"He didn't" Cristina hissed with a miserable look on her face, "he had asked _Owen _to babysit…but my stupid boyfriend got called into an emergency at the hospital so McSteamy had no other choice but to leave them with me" Cristina explained.

"So where are they?" Callie repeated Izzie's earlier question.

Cristina shook her head, "apparently Mere's dad had some sort of AA meeting and he wanted Lexie to go wit him…"

"So where's Mark?" Izzie jumped in.

"McSteamy didn't trust the guy so he went with them" Cristina answered while giving Izzie a look for interrupting.

"Ok well since the 911 has been diverted" Callie announced sarcastically, "I have to get back to my patient at the hospital" Callie explained.

"What?" Cristina asked in a panic as she jumped up from the couch and blocked Callie off from leaving, "you can't leave…Torres you can't leave me alone in the house with those babies" Cristina told her.

Izzie couldn't help but giggle at Cristina's overreaction, the look of terror on her face. "Cristina their babies, all they do is sleep, eat and poop. They're really not that hard and it's not like you have to entertain them…"

"Then you look after them, three and Sloan shouldn't be gone for too much longer and I can go back to the hospital" Cristina suggested eagerly, desperate to get away.

"Fine" Izzie agreed as she flopped down onto the couch and made herself comfortable.

"Are you sure?" Callie asked; she didn't want to leave Izzie in a lurch.

Izzie couldn't help but smile at Callie's concern for her; a year ago there was no way that Callie would have been this civil to her. But after everything with the cancer, Mark and Lexie's wedding and being godmothers to the same baby, Callie and Izzie had seemed to work out their problems.

"I'm sure, I already finished my shift so I'm good, you two go" Izzie reassured them with a smile.

Just as Callie and Cristina were about to make their escape they were interrupted by the sudden sound of Mark's voice and Lexie walking through the front door.

"This isn't a frat house anymore" Mark announced with a furrowed brow directed at Cristina, "what are you three doing in my house together?" Mark asked suspiciously. He knew that Cristina was supposed to be there but not Callie and Izzie.

"Go" Callie hissed in Cristina's ear.

"What?" Cristina asked in confusion.

"Go, just go, go, go" Callie ordered while pushing Cristina out the door.

"What the hell were you three up to? Mark asked with a frown, Callie's odd behaviour clearly told him that something was up.

Izzie rolled her eyes while shaking her head, "we were doing tequila shots and dancing around the house naked while we discussed who out of you, Derek, Alex and Owen would be better in bed" Izzie teased but suddenly cringed, "ew that was a visual that I could really do without".

"Image of what" Lexie asked curiously.

"The image of Derek and Cristina" Izzie explained.

"Now why did you have to go and do that for?" Mark asked as he cringed as well at the very thought of that.

Lexie couldn't help but giggle at how crazy Mark and Izzie were behaving, "Izz you want a coffee?" Lexie asked before quickly walking towards the kitchen.

"Coffee would be great" Izzie answered as she slipped into one of the chairs at the dining table.

"How are things at the hospital?" Lexie asked casually, while she loved being at home with her daughters she was still a surgeon. And there was still a small part of her that was itching to get back into the O.R.

Izzie groaned as she dropped her head onto the table and closed her eyes; the hospital had been everyone's safe haven. It was the one place that they were all dying to be, but in the last week Richard Webber had turned it into a nightmare.

Izzie raised her head and looked Mark squarely in the eyes, "you need to come back to the hospital like _right now_" Izzie ordered in desperation.

Mark couldn't help but laugh at Izzie's overdramatic attempt to lure him back to work early.

Izzie shook her head in disbelief, "you think I'm kidding….this is no joking matter buster" Izzie exclaimed with a playful glare.

"Stevens stop being so overdramatic" Mark ordered as he sat down opposite her.

"Ha" Izzie laughed as Lexie handed her and Mark a cup each, "you want over dramatic you should see the Chief, he's acting as though the world's about to end all because his head of Neuro and Head of Plastics have disappeared".

Mark frowned as he shook his head in disbelief, "we haven't _disappeared_, I'm here at home spending time with my wife and babies and Derek and Meredith are in New York visiting mom".

"As far as the Chief's concerned they're just semantics…the way he sees it is that if you're not at the hospital you've gone missing" Izzie explained. She wasn't sure if Mark fully understood the situation.

"Izz I'm sure that the Chief can manage for another week without Mark" Lexie spoke up, after their last fight Lexie didn't even consider suggesting to Mark that he go in for the Chief's sake.

Izzie shook her head, "he's running around the hospital like a headless chook snapping at all the Interns while hovering around the Attendings and Residents that are there".

Izzie turned to Mark and grasped his hand while squeezing it tightly, "Owen is this close to actually _killing _the man, he's driving us all up the wall…not to mention the fact that I've lost count of how many times Bailey's threatened him for even thinking about calling you in".

Mark shook his head with a smirk; he could just imagine how crazy it was back at the hospital with two Attendings missing.

"If it's really that crazy down there then why the hell did the Chief even agree to give Derek and Mere time off to go to New York?" Lexie asked in confusion.

When Derek had told Meredith about the trip Meredith freaked, she freaked to the point where she had shown up on Mark and Lexie's front door at 3 in the morning. It wasn't the Carolyn part that scared her…it was the having to meet Nancy part again that scared her.

Izzie furrowed her brow in annoyance as she looked at Lexie, "how the hell should I know…do I look like the freakin Dali lama to you?" Izzie asked.

"Well then I guess he'll just have to get used to being a headless chook for another week" Mark answered casually before taking a sip of his coffee.

"Can you please talk to him" Izzie begged Lexie with a pleading look.

"I'm staying right out of this" Lexie declared while shaking her head, "I already have my hands full with two babies. Speaking of which I'm going to go and check on them" Lexie declared before quickly walking out of the room.

Silence took over the room; Izzie could see that she wouldn't be able to win Mark over so dropping the subject was really her only option.

"So how was the AA meeting" Izzie asked hesitantly, she wasn't sure if Mark liked her knowing where they had been.

Mark sighed as he shrugged his shoulders, when Thatcher had first called Lexie to ask her to join him Mark was hesitant about it. He was worried that Lexie would be setting herself up for nothing but heartache.

Mark kept telling himself that it was the _only _reason that he had gone with Lexie today; that it had nothing to do with wanting to see the proof with his own eyes that Thatcher was serious about this.

"You don't buy it" Izzie pointed out, Mark's hesitation to believe Thatcher was clearly written on his face.

Mark took a sip of his coffee, "he seems to be taking this seriously" Mark answered.

"But"

Mark shook his head; he really didn't want to be having this conversation again after he had already had it with Lexie. "So what were you and Callie really doing here?" Mark asked, quickly changing the topic.

Izzie giggled as she rolled her eyes, "Cristina doesn't do diapers" Izzie answered.

"What?" Mark asked with a frown.

"Let's just put this way, if Owen ever does get around to having little Hunt's he'll be the master of diaper changing by the time they're potty trained" Izzie explained. She was trying really hard not to laugh as she thought about it since the anger had subsided.

"She paged you to come over and change a diaper?" Mark asked with a smirk on his face, not surprised that Cristina would do something like that.

"Yep" Izzie answered as she nodded her head.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Mark asked playfully.

"Why didn't you think of what?" Lexie asked as she came back into the kitchen holding Hailey.

Izzie immediately jumped up from her seat and took Hailey from her mother, "hey Hailes, why aren't you asleep like your sister?" Izzie asked the baby with a goofy grin.

"Hailes" Mark asked with a sceptical look on his face.

Izzie shrugged her shoulders while she continued to make funny faces at her goddaughter, "if Matilda gets a nick name then so does Hailey" Izzie argued. "Isn't that right Hailes, yes it is, oh yes it is" Izzie was talking to Hailey in a silly voice.

Lexie shook her head in disbelief, "why do you and Mark insist on making those funny voices whenever you two talk to my daughters?"

"Because they like it" Mark answered immediately with a smile on his face, he knew that while Lexie complained about it deep down she found it sweet.

"It's disturbing to hear a double-board certified surgeon talk like that" Lexie pointed out.

Izzie couldn't help but laugh at the way Mark and Lexie bantered; it was funny to watch because despite everything that was said between each other you could see that it was all in good faith.

Lexie shook her head as she checked her cell phone which was telling her that she had a message. Lexie couldn't help but laugh as she listened to the end of Meredith's message.

"What's so funny?" Izzie asked with a smile as she continued to rock Hailey to sleep.

"Listen to this" Lexie ordered as she replayed the message and put it on speaker phone.

"Ok its official, you and Cristina are the suckiest people in the world. How is it that when I really need someone to talk to both my _person _and my _sister _disappear off the face of the earth? Someone better be dying Lexie because I can't think of a better reason why you wouldn't be answering your phone…well actually there is one other reason, but there's no sex for Mark Sloan so _where the hell are you_!" Meredith cried out.

"I'm dying over here with McBitchy and her constant need to criticise me, I'm about this close to either killing her or Derek…and I'm seriously leaning towards Derek because this was his stupid idea. So don't be surprised if I come back to Seattle a widow" Meredith exclaimed before hanging up.

Hailey's eyes quickly sprung open at the sound of Izzie and Mark laughing loudly and the feeling of being shaken.

"Ok was she drunk" Izzie asked between fits of laughter.

"She sounded as sober as I've ever heard Meredith Grey" Mark reassured Izzie, laughing at the thought of Meredith drunk as a skunk inside Carolyn's house.

"Ok you two have had your fun now you can stop laughing at my sister" Lexie jumped in to try and defend Meredith.

"McBitchy, who the hell is McBitchy" Mark asked as he began to control himself.

"It's what I dubbed Derek's sister when she came to Seattle just after you arrived" Izzie explained.

"Nancy pants" Mark asked with a fond smile, knowing that Nancy had been the only one to visit Seattle before the wedding, and was the only sister who had the ability to piss some one off from the get go.

"Nancy pants" Izzie repeated in disbelief at Mark's nick name for the woman, Izzie looked over her shoulder at Lexie and then back at Mark.

Mark shrugged, "it's what Derek and I used to call Nancy because it really pissed her off" Mark explained.

Izzie looked down to a smiling Hailey, "you're lucky that you don't have a brother" Izzie told her.

Hailey seemed to find whatever Izzie had said funny and giggled at her aunt.

"Not yet" Mark quickly corrected Izzie before looking at Lexie with a wicked smile on his face.

Lexie shook her head while she tried not to smile, "remember Mark, _two does not equal one_" Lexie repeated from their initial conversation after finding out about the twins.

"Oh I remember" Mark reassured her with a smug smile, he remembered the conversation clearly. But he was also certain that he'd talk Lexie around to the idea of another baby.

"If you really want a little guy to spoil rotten I'm afraid you'll just have to wait for Derek and Meredith to have a boy" Lexie answered.

"On that note I should probably get going….stop by the hospital and make sure that Alex and Owen haven't teamed up with Bailey to form a coo against the Chief" Izzie joked handing Hailey back over to Lexie and walking out of the room backwards.

"You do that" Mark told her with a smile on his face.

Lexie shook her head with a smile as she walked over to Mark and allowed him to pull her down on to his lap. "You really don't like sleeping do you, you're going to be a trouble maker just like daddy" Lexie teased while cradling Hailey in her arms.

"Over my dead body" Mark answered, with his arms wrapped around Lexie's waist and his chin resting on her shoulder Mark looked down at Hailey.

"There is no way in hell that I want either of them to have the kind of life I had before you, I don't want them jumping from one guy's bed to another" Mark explained reluctantly.

Just the thought of Hailey and Mattie being anything like Mark when it came to their personal lives and men made Mark sick to his stomach.

Lexie shook her head, "they won't" Lexie reassured Mark with a confident smile on her face.

"When did you become a psychic?" Mark asked with a faint smile.

Lexie shook her head, "no psychic, I just know they won't because they have you. Their father will teach them that they don't need a man in their life to define who they are…but more importantly you'll teach them that they need to respect themselves, and that if the men they're with don't respect them then they're not the right guy" Lexie answered with a smile.

"Do I get to punch the creep?" Mark asked, perking up a bit at the thought of that.

"No" Lexie answered with a soft giggle, "well…that depends on what he did to deserve it" Lexie corrected herself with a smirk on her face.

"You do realise that as far as I'm going to be concerned any guy that makes my little girl cry will deserve it" Mark pointed out with a smile on his face.

Lexie looked over her shoulder at Mark, "and that's why I love you" Lexie told him before softly kissing him on the cheek.

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	43. Chapter 43

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**Chapter 43**

"Let's go see who's at the door" Mark suggested in a silly voice as he walked down the hallway cradling Hailey close to his chest.

It turned out that Lexie had been right all along, while Mattie seemed to have taken after her mother Hailey had chosen to take after Mark.

Despite being identical twins they were complete opposites.

One night, while Callie and Arizona were over for dinner, Callie had joked that they had probably sorted out who would take after which parent while still inside of Lexie.

And while Lexie and Arizona had both found it funny Mark didn't, Hailey was just like him in every way that mattered and that worried Mark. She was a very light sleeper; she was fussy about who could hold her or who she could be left alone with. She had already developed a tendency to not trust people right off the bat, to always be suspicious and that sacred Mark.

They were only six weeks old yet Hailey and Mattie already seemed to be completely aware of the world around them. For instance they both knew that they liked it whenever Derek, Meredith, Izzie, Alex, Callie, Arizona or Owen held them…but what surprised everyone the most was how much Mattie seemed to love being held by Cristina.

They both loved it whenever Mark would make silly voices or pull silly faces at them and Mark loved it to, because he got to see two bright toothless smiles that were just for him.

That was the part that Mark loved the most about being around Mattie and Hailey, to the two little girls Mark was just their father. He wasn't a double-board certified surgeon who happened to be one of the best Plastic surgeon's out there; he wasn't the man who had slept with his best friend's wife. He wasn't the man whore who had slept with nearly half the nurses at Seattle Grace or the damaged guy who's own parents couldn't have given two hoots about.

To Mattie and Hailey Mark was just their dad, a guy who would wake up in the morning and hold them until he had to go to work or be the one to put them to be at night.

He loved being their father because there were not expectations from Hailey and Mattie…well ok there were expectations of him, but they were good ones. They weren't hanging around waiting to see how long it would take before Mark screwed up.

Hailey let out a small squeal as she heard the sound of the doorbell once again, that was a difference he and Lexie had both picked up on. While Mattie seemed to get excited at hearing vocal sounds Hailey much rather preferred the musical kind, anything that had a beat or tune to it Hailey loved.

Derek kept teasing Mark and Lexie that they had managed to breed the next generation of Einstein's because Arizona kept constantly pointing out that most babies didn't show as much reaction as they did to sounds at six weeks.

"Coming" Mark softly called out to the ringing doorbell and quickly opened the door.

"Hi" Thatcher greeted Mark nervously before looking down at the baby that Mark was carrying in his arms. Thatcher's face broke out into a wide smile as he caught a glimpse of his granddaughter.

While he was slowly working on trying to repair his relationship with Lexie he had also tried to keep a respectful distance since the girls were born. Thatcher didn't want Lexie to feel as though he was trying to force himself into the picture, and he also knew that Mark was hesitant about welcoming him into their lives….something that Thatcher could completely understand.

"I um, I just wanted to stop by and give something to Lexie, but if she isn't home…" Thatcher explained warily without taking his eyes off of Hailey.

"Uhh no, she isn't, Meredith had some sort of meltdown and kicked Derek out of the house so he rang Lexie asking her if she try and to figure out what's wrong with Mere" Mark answered while bouncing Hailey in his arms as she started to become wrestles.

"Oh okay then" Thatcher answered with a disappointed look on his face, he tightened his grip on the small gift that had been wrapped with a pink bow on it.

Mark's eyes apprehensively appraised the sombre look on Thatcher's face, the present not going unnoticed. While Mark was still weary about letting the man into their lives he seemed to be making a genuine attempt trying to make things right.

Thatcher went to weekly AA meetings and he kept in regular contact with his sponsor. During the first AA meeting that Lexie and Mark gone to with the man he had stood up in front of a sea of strangers, he looked each and everyone one of them in the eye and told them that if he hadn't been determined to stay sober before he sure as hell was now because of his granddaughters.

He said that it was his chance at a fresh start, a chance at making sure that Hailey and Mattie never get to meet Thatcher the drunk…Susan didn't get the chance to meet her granddaughters so it was his responsibility to make sure that Hailey and Mattie new everything there was to know about their grandmother.

And he couldn't do that if he wasn't a sober man he joked, but Mark could see past the façade and he could see that deep down Thatcher was still hurting from losing Susan.

"Did you want to come in" Mark offered casually, he didn't want the olive branch he was offering to become such a big thing. But while at first Mark had been hesitant in believing Thatchers chance for sobriety he was starting to become a little more convinced.

Somewhere along the line Mark had decided to give the man a chance because he was the only grandfather that the girls would ever know, and if he could be given a second chance after everything he had done then why not Thatcher. Thatcher was trying to make amends for the things he had done to his children, which was hell of a lot more than Mark could say about his own father.

"I'd really like that" Thatcher accepted with a humble smile and entered the house.

"Would you like something to drink, coffee…water?" Mark asked awkwardly as he stood behind the shorter man.

Thatcher's eyes wondered around the living room that he had stepped foot inside nearly a two months ago. With a fond smile on his face Thatcher turned his attention to Mark, "the last time I stepped foot inside this house those two precious little girls decided to make their arrival" Thatcher announced.

"I never really got the chance to thank you for that, for making sure that Lexie got to the hospital safely" Mark pointed out but Thatcher wouldn't hear of it.

"When you're a parent you'd do anything to protect your children" Thatcher argued, believing that what he had done wasn't really that big of a deal.

Waving his hand in the air Thatcher wondered down the hall towards the kitchen, as he stepped through the door the memories came flooding back to him.

Turning on the spot Thatcher took in his surroundings, "this place hasn't changed a bit" he whispered softly.

"I'm sure it's changed a little" Mark argued hesitantly, he wasn't so sure that Thatcher could handle all the memories of Ellis Grey.

"My boy you can splash on a coat of paint or change the furniture but it doesn't really change a thing" Thatcher answered as he walked up to the kitchen bench and ran his hand along the surface.

"I remember when Meredith was about six, Ellis would always work on Saturdays…well besides every other day of the week" Thatcher tried to joke, "and one Saturday morning Meredith had decided that she wanted to cook something. So she pulled out an old magazine she found lying around the house and pointed to a picture of apple and raspberry muffins" Thatcher reminisced with a fond smile.

"Ever since then cooking breakfast on Saturday mornings became our thing, she even had this little stool that would sit right here" Thatcher explained as he stood in that exact same spot and pointed down to his feet, "while we baked cookies, or muffins or French toast…or whatever else she could think of. It helped take Meredith's mind off of the fact that her mother was too busy to spend some time with her" Thatcher explained as he looked over at Mark who stood in front of him holding Hailey.

"Well it's a good thing then that a patient's chances of surviving aren't dependent upon Meredith's cooking" Mark joked, hopping that it would lighten the mood a bit.

Thatcher let out a soft chuckle, "unfortunately Meredith took after her mother, Ellis wasn't much of a cook either" Thatcher informed Mark.

He hadn't spoken a lot about Ellis Grey in quite a long time, it was still a foreign idea to him…but if he was going to get better then he needed to face all his demons, including Ellis.

"If you really want to feel sorry for someone fell sorry for Derek, the pore man's forgotten what a home cooked meal tastes like, you should see him when he comes over and Lexie gives him food…he froths at the mouth" Mark added teasingly.

Thatcher shook his head as he laughed at Mark's joke, he wasn't sure that he'd ever get to the point where h would have a normal relationship with his son-in-law but it seemed to going ok for now. "Susan had always wanted to make sure that the girls could pull a decent meal together so that when they moved out they wouldn't starve to death…but Lexie it on board a lot more than Molly did, unfortunately for Eric I think he's in the same boat as Derek" Thatcher teased.

"Now that's a scary thought" Mark commented while shaking his head.

"What is?" Thatcher asked curiously.

"The idea that of being feed better by the US Army then by your own wife" Mark teased, they both let out a soft chuckle and while Hailey couldn't understand she squealed at the noise.

At first it was weird for Mark to be standing in the middle of his house talking casually with his father-in-law, it was something that Mark never thought he would do…but then again Mark never thought that he's actually marry.

Suddenly the room became silent and an air of awkwardness took over, neither of them knew what to day.

"I um, I thought that Lexie would want to have this" Thatcher spoke up, holding out the wrapped present with a pink bow on it.

"You should probably give it to her yourself" Mark suggested, deep down Mark reasoned that he was trying to help Thatcher because he wanted to set a good example for the girls.

"I, I can't…"Thatcher stuttered as he worked himself up into panic.

Reacting quickly to sudden changes was something Mark had learnt early on in life, "here why don't you take Hailey and I'll get you a coffee" Mark suggested as he handed the baby over to Thatcher.

There was always some soothing about holding a baby and holding Hailey had the desired effect that Mark had been hoping for. With a peaceful smile on his face Thatcher slipped into a chair at the dinning table while playing with Hailey's fingers.

"I wish I could say that she looks just like Lexie but I can't….she's all you" Thatcher spoke softly.

"Poor thing" Mark joked, placing the cup of coffee down in front of Thatcher Mark took a seat opposite him.

"She would have loved you" Thatcher announced out of the blue, looking back and forth between Mark and Hailey Thatcher was more certain of that statement as each moment went by.

"Excuse me" Mark asked, choking on his coffee, he had been thrown off guard when Thatcher had made the comment that his coffee went down the wrong way.

"Susan" Thatcher answered forwardly, looking at Mark weirdly because he didn't understand what was so surprising about his statement.

Mark began to shake his head, "I don't think Susan would have been too thrilled with her daughter marrying a man who slept with his best friend's wife" Mark argued.

Thatcher let out a soft chuckle as he listened to Mark rehash this story, once he and Lexie had begun a line of communication she began to fill him in on everything about Mark, including Addison.

And he was beginning to see what Lexie meant when she said that Mark had a tendency to keep opening old wounds.

"Susan was always about second chances, it's one of the many qualities Lexie picked up from her mother" Thatcher stated. "And despite your past mistakes she still would have loved you" Thatcher repeated as he let out a soft chuckle, "she, she would have been bragging to anyone she knew or to anyone who would listen that her daughter had married a surgeon who was not only successful but more talented than any other surgeon she had ever met before. She would have been more than proud in knowing that Lexie had not only married a man who she loves more than anything in the world, but that he was a man who we both knew would be able to provide for her and their family" Thatcher explained.

He slowly began to realise that Hailey and Mattie weren't the only ones who needed to be told stories about Susan, it was important for Mark to understand just what kind of grandmother the girls had missed out on.

"I'd never let anything happen to them" Mark tried to reassure Thatcher, he wasn't sure whether or not this was the grilling that he should have gotten from her father when Mark had first started dating Lexie or whether they were just two men talking.

Thatcher shook his head, "after what I've put her through I am the _last _person to be judging you. You were there for my little girl when I wasn't, so if anyone should be thanking anyone it should be me thanking you" Thatcher argued.

With a faint smile on his face Thatcher looked down at a sleeping Hailey, for a split second she actually did look like her mother. "You might want to put this one to bed" Thatcher suggested reluctantly, it meant having to let go of her.

"She's asleep?" Mark asked with a shocked look, Hailey was usually quite stubborn about her sleeping patterns. Normally if she woke up from a nap she refused to go down for ages.

"Lexie used to be just like this when she was first born, whenever she'd wake up from a nap Susan could never get her back down again…well that was until I held her in my arms and spoke softly. Then she was out like a light, she was a real daddy's girl" Thatcher explained with a fond smile.

"Well at least we now know that there's one thing Hailey inherited from her mother" Mark teased. "You can take her upstairs and put her down in the crib if you want" Mark suggested.

Thatcher was a bit surprised, "I don't want you to think that I'm trying to step on anybody toes" Thatcher politely declined the offer.

"You're not stepping on anyone toes" Mark reassured him, putting the two empty coffee cups into the sink. "You'd be doing me a favour because right now I'm just too lazy to walk up those stairs and could you check on Mattie for me while you're at it" Mark requested with a smile.

Thatcher knew that Mark was lying, that he had all the energy in the world to go and put Hailey to bed. But Thatcher graciously accepted what Mark was trying to do and began walking towards the stairs.

"It's the first door on your right" Mark told him.

Thatcher paused as he turned to Mark with a faint smile, "that used to be Meredith's nursery" Thatcher explained before walking away.

Mark hadn't been left alone for more than five seconds before he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist from behind him, along with a kiss on his shoulder. "Hey" Lexie greeted him softly, "the girls asleep?" she asked, pulling away from Mark she poured herself a glass of orange juice.

"Mattie's been out like a light since you left, Hailey on the other hand is a different story. Your dad's upstairs putting her down now, he some how miraculously managed to get her to go back to sleep" Mark explained.

Despite the mistakes Thatcher had made Mark was in awe of man's ability to handle a baby so well.

"Dad's here" Lexie asked in surprise, her father refused to come by the house without checking whether or not it was alright with Lexie. It's not that he needed to, Lexie had tried to explain that to him but he wouldn't listen.

"Yeah he wanted to give you something" Mark explained pointing to the present that was sitting on the kitchen bench.

Lexie gently placed her glass down onto the bench and began to unwrap the present that her father had obviously gone into so much trouble wrapping for her. The second Lexie had laid eyes on what was inside her eyes began to tear and she could feel one get past her, a tear quickly sliding down her cheek.

"Hey what's wrong?" Mark asked, instantly walking over to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Lexie shook her head as she held the blanket up to her nose and smelt it, after all these years it still smelt exactly same like it did when she was little.

"Lex they're just blankets" Mark pointed out as he looked down at the small yellow blanket she was holding on to and the larger one still sitting on the bench.

Lexie shook her head, "they're not _just _blankets Mark, they're my baby blankets" Lexie explained. "This was the blanket my mom had knitted while she was pregnant with me and used until I was nearly two" Lexie reminisced.

She put the yellow blanket down and picked up the bigger blanket which was also yellow but had dog prints all over it, "and this was the one I used to carry around with me wherever I went. I was never able to go to sleep if I didn't have this me when I was little…"

"Your mother finally managed to tear that thing away from you when you were six" Thatcher reminded her with a smile. He was glad that Lexie liked the present; he had been worried that it would upset her.

"Where did you even find these?" Lexie asked in awe, she had thought that Susan had thrown them away.

"I was cleaning out your mother's things, I…I thought it was time to finally pack everything up and move on with my life. I came across those and I thought you'd want them, I mean I know for a fact that your mother always had every intention of giving them to you when you finally had a baby of your own" Thatcher rambled.

Mark couldn't help but smirk as he watched Thatcher fumble with his words, he finally realised where Lexie had picked up that habit from.

"Thank you daddy" Lexie whispered before giving him a bear hug and holding onto him tightly. Lexie couldn't help but cry because she was getting her father back. He was slowly becoming the man she once knew and it thrilled her to know that her own girls would know the same man.

"Well I should get going" Thatcher announced; taking a step back from Lexie he began to make his way towards the front door.

"You sure you don't want to stay for dinner" Lexie offered, she couldn't help but get excited at watching her father find his way back to his real life.

Thatcher shook his head as he chuckled at her offer, "I've already taken up enough of Mark's time. Trust me sweetheart when I say that a man does _not _like spending a lot of time with his father-in-law".

Lexie looked back and forth between Mark and Thatcher dubiously, "what were you two up to exactly?" Lexie asked.

"Nothing" both men answered at the same time, they each laughed and shook hands before Thatcher turned his attention to Lexie. "If you want you're more than welcome to stop by and take a look through your mother's things…see if there's anything that you might want to keep" Thatcher offered kissing Lexie goodbye and walked out the door.

Closing the door behind her Lexie looked over at Mark who was slumped down on the couch. "What's wrong?" Lexie asked immediately, she could always tell when something was wrong with Mark.

Others might have always been unable to see past the façade but Mark could never get anything by Lexie.

"It's nothing" Mark answered, stretching out for the remote control.

Lexie dashed over to him and grabbed the remote before sitting down next to him with one leg tucked underneath her.

"You're lying to me" Lexie pointed out, curling up beside him she gently began to stroke his face.

Mark sighed in annoyance, he could never get anything past Lexie and after all this time he still wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. Mark knew that it would sound petty, that he sounded like a five year old but he couldn't help it.

He closed his eyes for a brief second, "it's just that seeing your dad bring you those gifts just emphasised how worlds apart we really are" Mark explained.

"What are you talking about?" Lexie asked with a frown on her face.

Mark looked down at Lexie and could see the worry in her eyes, "your mom saved your baby blankets for you so that they could be used on your own children…that means from the minute you were born you mother thought about your future, she _planned _for your future. Whereas on the other hand _my _parents tossed all my stuff out the second I had moved out of the house, they didn't think let alone plan for my future" Mark told her.

Mark couldn't help but feel ridiculous about all of this, he was a happily married man with two beautiful daughters yet for some reason he still allowed Diana and Carter Sloan to get to him like that.

"Mark my father wasn't trying to hurt you" Lexie tried to reassure him, she didn't want him thinking that her father had been trying to be manipulative or hurtful.

"No I know that" Mark quickly answered her, "it's just that…that I see the way your father is with you _now_, all the fond memories he of you and Meredith and the way he is with the girls and it gets to me, makes me wonder" Mark explained sheepishly.

"You could always call them, or better yet in a couple of months we could go to New York and you could see them. I know that mom would be thrilled to finally get to see the girls in real life instead of on photos" Lexie suggested encouragingly.

"Well see" Mark answered, but he and Lexie both knew that a Mark Sloan 'we'll see' was always code for no. "Can we talk about something else please?" Mark asked, he really didn't want to waste anymore time thinking about his parents.

"Well" Lexie exclaimed with a beaming smile as she threw her leg over Mark's lap and wrapped her legs around his hips, her hands sliding up and around his neck as she straddled his lap. "While I was at the hospital trying to defuse the Mere situation I stopped by Dr. Sorrento's office..." Lexie trailed, she was quickly losing her train of thought as she continued to stare at his lips.

When Mark opened his mouth to speak Lexie closed her lips over his and slid her tongue into his warm mouth, enjoying the chuckle the bubbled up from his chest. "So she could give you the green light" Lexie answered with her lips still pressed against Mark's.

Mark gently pulled his lips away from Lexie and tilted his head back, "are you saying…" Mark asked.

"Uh huh" Lexie answered with a seductive grin, tightening her arms around Mark's neck Lexie kissed him again. Only this time it was deeper, more passionate and needier than all of the other kisses they had shared over the last six weeks. Because this time something could actually come of it, this time they didn't need to control themselves.

Mark pulled away, panting for air as he shook his head in disbelief. "Woman why in the hell were you letting me sit her and go on about Carter and Diana when we could have been upstairs having hot, sweaty sex?" Mark asked with a playful glare.

Running the tip of his fingers against the exposed skin on Lexie's back Mark leant forward and kissed her again.

"Because you looked like you needed to talk" Lexie explained in between kisses.

"Shut up" Mark ordered as his lips trailed along her jaw and down the side of her neck. His warm lips gently kissing her neck. She stretched her head back to encourage him to keep going, feeling the subdued laughter bubbling up in him as he obeyed the unspoken wish.

"But Dr. Sorrento did strongly advise that getting pregnant _was not _a good idea" Lexie informed him, trying really hard not to giggle.

Mark's lips separated themselves from the side of Lexie's neck as he looked at her in disbelief, "who said anything about getting pregnant" Mark asked. "I just want some sex…you know that thing that you've been denying me for the last _six _weeks" Mark teased.

"Oh well I'm terribly sorry that the last six weeks have been excruciating for you Dr. Sloan, maybe you'd like to take that up with your daughters or better yet see if you can return them back to where they came from" Lexie teased as she ran her fingers against the fabric of his shirt.

Mark chuckled as he shook his head; they both knew that they would happily sacrifice the last six weeks all over again if it meant having Hailey and Mattie by their side at the end of the day.

"I thought I told you to shut up" Mark reminded her before capturing her lips with his own.

"Take me upstairs and I might consider it" Lexie bargained with him, she could feel a small smile against her lips. Lexie let out a quiet yelp as she felt Mark's hands tighten around her waist while he stood up from the couch.

With her legs wrapped tightly around Mark's waist and a firm grip on his shoulders Lexie giggled as he carried up the stairs, she had known that the minute she told Mark that the ban on sex had been lifted that he wouldn't be able to control himself.

It was the reason that Lexie had given up on trying to solve the Meredith problem and came straight home, Mark wasn't the only one who had been waiting for six weeks.

**************

_**See the review button…come on you know you want to**_**.**


	44. Chapter 44

_**Author's Note: **__okay first off I'd really, really like to apologise for how long this update has taken me and I know that I suck. But I've just been swamped with so many things that this story's kind of taken a back seat and I hate that. So to buy everyone's forgiveness I've made this chapter pretty lng and I hope it works. Also I've been thinking about possibly bringing this story to an end because a) I'm not so sure I have any juice left in me when it comes to this story and b) I'm not even sure if anyone would be interested in still reading this. So please, please, please let me know what you all think…should I continue or should I cut my losses and carry on with the 3 or 4 other stories I have left? So many things to do and so little time hehe :-)_

_So now enough with my boring rambling and on with the show, er story…I mean story.

* * *

_

**I hate happy married you**

Moaning softly her body tingled with want at the touch of his fingers gently running up and down the side of her arm.

"Good morning" he whispered softly into her ear with a grin.

"It's too early for it to be morning" Lexie pouted.

"Well I know something that might entice you to wake up" Mark suggested with a sultry voice as his fingers moved below the covers.

Opening her mouth to disagree with him Lexie was interrupted when suddenly her head rolled back into the pillows and her body stretched out, with her eyes closed Lexie heard herself moan a little louder at the sensation of Mark's fingers drawing circles along her inner thigh.

"I don't have time for this" she protested with a faint smile on her face.

"Your mouth says no but the rest of you is definitely saying yes" he commented with a smirk. Dipping his head Mark kissed her gently on the lips while shifting his weight on top of her.

"Mark I have to get the girls ready, I don't want to be late for my first day back at work" she argued hopelessly because Lexie knew that she didn't have a leg to stand on when it came to Mark Sloan's method of seduction.

With his arm circled around her waist he pulled her body up against his, hugging her against him, satisfying both their craving for contact. "Will you relax; you're married to an Attending and being married to an Attending means special privileges" Mark joked before his mouth moved from her lips to her throat, smiling as he felt Lexie arch her back into him.

Pulling his head back up and seizing his mouth in a vicious kiss, she flipped them over, leaving Mark at her mercy beneath her. "Special privileges only come with being the _Chief's _wife and you kind sir are not the Chief, you're just a lackey…a $6 million lackey" she teased with a seductive smirk, intentionally brushing up against him as she straddled his lap.

"Sweetheart here's a tip for you, don't go making fun of a man otherwise he might be forced to punish you" Mark offered with a deep, dark seductive tone.

"How so" she scoffed, "he won't finish what _he _started" Lexie threatened playfully because she knew that her husband could never say no to sex, as far as Mark Sloan was concerned that was a cardinal sin.

"Don't even joke about that" Mark warned before pulling her head down towards him, seizing her mouth in a kiss Mark's fingers softly moved up and down her thighs.

She opened her mouth to him, her tongue sliding into his warm mouth; her body pressing him back as the kiss slowly deepen.

"Now see this is definitely better then any alarm clock" Mark joked, short of breath from all the kissing; not that he was complaining.

"You do realise that this would go a whole lot faster if you didn't have this incessant need to talk during sex?" she pointed out with a seductive smirk on her face.

Pressing gently against her shoulders Mark took control of the situation and before she knew it Lexie found herself flat on her back underneath Mark, exactly the way she liked it.

"I blame you for that, I wasn't big on talking until you came along" Mark argued with a fond smile, he wasn't ashamed to admit that he had picked up some of Lexie's habit.

"Shut up" Lexie order while silently thanking who ever was up there for a husband who refused to wear more than a pair of sweatpants to bed. Her hands travelled downward greedily, feeling the finely toned body that only _she _was allowed to ever see and touch, until she reached the edges of his sweatpants.

"Yes mam" Mark whispered with an excited grin on his face, he loved it whenever she got bossy during sex.

"Smart answer" Lexie applauded him as she fervently pushed down on the waistband of his pants until she achieved her goal.

When he pulled his lips from hers Lexie leaned in to reclaim them but he tilted his head back, eyeing his fully clothed wife up and down. "Why am I the one who always end ups naked?" Mark asked with a playful frown on his face.

"Because you do naked so much better" she whispered in Mark's ear, running her fingers through his hair because she knew how much he loved it.

Swallowing her answer with a hungry kiss Mark's hands frantically moved across her body until he freed her of his old Columbia shirt.

"Make sure you give the interns hell" Mark spoke softly with his hands sliding down the length of her body.

She smiled and kissed him, her hands reaching out with a wicked gleam in her eye, a look that Mark just knew he was going to pay for. Lexie pulled back barely an inch, "I hope you have the energy to keep up with me" she teased with a mischievous smile.

Shaking his head Mark chuckled at his wife, "you need to stop spending so much time with Shepherd, the old man jokes are getting…" he trailed.

"_Old_" Lexie interjected with her mouth still fused to his.

"Just so you know you're going to pay for that" he muttered loud enough for Lexie to hear with a playful glare before stealing her breath away with his kiss.

* * *

They laid there in a sweaty exhaustion of limbs, wrapped and twined around one another like one body. Sated, complete and utterly content with the way the morning had begun.

Mark stretched out on the bed beside her and wrapped an arm comfortingly around her. Lexie smiled and snuggled up closer against him laying her head on his chest, listening to the comforting rhythm of his heart beat. As they both slowly began to fall asleep they were alerted to the sound of their crying daughter from across the hallway.

"I'll get her" Mark volunteered as he reluctantly pulled himself out of bed; "daddy's coming" he called out to his crying daughter before quickly slipping his pants back on.

Giggling at her husband Lexie smiled as she watched Mark leave the room to tend to their daughter's needs. Slipping back into Mark's shirt Lexie thought about how she couldn't have asked for a better husband or a better father for her daughters then Mark Sloan.

Lately as the remaining days of her leave dwindled away she found herself wondering how Addison could have gotten it so wrong. The woman had been so sure that Mark would make a terrible father yet here he was, not only living up to the title but also loving every minute it. She'd never say it out loud or admit it to anyone, let alone Mark, but Lexie was grateful that Addison had gotten it so wrong…that she had completely misjudged Mark.

Lexie also knew that it was a horrible thing to say or even think but she knew that if Addison had seen what she did…if Addison had decided to keep her baby then none of this would be real, Mark would be back in New York raising his child with Addison.

Lost in her own thoughts Lexie couldn't hear the phone ringing by the bed, her mind was too busy being plagued with all the what ifs in her life.

"Lexie" Mark called out, "Lex" he yelled a little louder from the door way with Hailey in his arms.

Jumping at the sound of Mark's voice she was brought back to reality and quickly picked up the phone, "hello" she answered with a sheepish voice while tracking all of Mark's moves.

"Hey daddy" Lexie greeted Thatcher cheerfully as she felt the bed shift in weight as soon as Mark climbed back in with Hailey.

Smiling at his daughter Mark rolled his eyes, he found it funny how a fully grown, married woman could revert back to acting like a little girl just from the sound of her father's voice...while secretly harbouring hope that as Mattie and Hailey got older that they'd still get excited to hear his voice like they do now.

"I just rang to say good luck today" she heard her father reply, Lexie could hear the proud tone in his voice and she couldn't help but smile at that. 8 months on and her father was still sober and he had even embraced the fact that both Meredith and Lexie were surgeons just like Ellis. Things were even slowly beginning to rebuild in the Meredith and Thatcher department, but Mark kept warning Lexie and Derek not to get ahead of themselves.

"Thanks dad" Lexie sighed contently as she watched Mark hold Hailey up above his head while pulling silly faces at her.

Hailey loved it whenever Mark did that; she'd squeal whenever he did it and reach down towards her father even though her little arms were too short to reach him. Mark loved both his daughters the same but Hailey seemed to have developed a sort of bond with her father that none of them could understand.

"Not that you really need it because you're going to be extraordinary all on your own. And if those interns don't listen to you then make sure you give them hell" he advised her.

Pulling the handset away from her ear Lexie frowned at the phone, it was weird having both her husband and father tell her the same thing; "have you been talking to Mark because he said the exact same thing this morning".

"Somebody's hungry" Mark interrupted with a wide grin directed at Hailey. Mark didn't want Lexie to know just how much he and Thatcher talked and just how much those conversations lingered around the topic of Lexie and Meredith.

Because after he had stopped with all the scepticism, and believed that his father-in-law was serious about staying sober, Mark realised that the Thatcher Grey Lexie had grown up with was just like Jonathon Shepherd…they were two men who had somehow inexplicably become the father that Carter Sloan never could be.

"Is that somebody _you_" Lexie mocked him playfully; she could hear her father chuckling on the other end.

"Sweetheart I'll let you go and tend to the baby…"

"Which baby, the big one or the little one?" she asked her father with a smirk that was directed at Mark.

Heading towards the door Mark shook his head, "I try to be a good husband and all your mother does is mock me" he muttered to Hailey with a teasing pout on his face.

"Dad I better go otherwise I'm gonna be late" she told him as Lexie rummaged through the draws for clean clothes.

"Well I don't want to hold you up" he apologised, "and make sure you give the girls a kiss".

"I will dad" she promised with a happy smile.

Chuckling at his daughter Thatcher said his goodbyes one more time before hanging up the phone so Lexie could jump in the shower.

* * *

"Come on Lexie" Mark sighed for the twelfth time already; they had been standing in the middle of the hospital daycare for the last ten minutes and if Mark waited any longer he'd be late for his own surgery.

Nodding her head vacantly Lexie watched as her two little girls sat on the floor, both occupied by different things. She smiled lovingly at her daughters, sometimes she couldn't believe just how much they had grown up over the last 10 months. While the two of them had both inherited their mother's brunette hair they had Mark's sparkling blue eyes along with the Sloan smile. When they smiled Lexie had no will power whatsoever, just like their father, they had the ability to smile their way out of trouble and they didn't even know they could do it.

All they had to do was smile their Sloan smile and all was forgiven, it was cheating but Lexie couldn't fight it.

Mark constantly teased that Hailey and Mattie had inherited his good looks and Lexie's brains, despite knowing how much she hated hearing him say that. It baffled Mark why his wife couldn't take a compliment but he had realised early on that when he made those kind of jokes Lexie felt like Mark was putting himself down…like he thought that he was dumber then her, even though they both knew that it was ridiculous.

At 7 months old they had both learnt how to crawl and by a month later Hailey and Mattie could both sit up all on their own. Now at 10 months Hailey and Mattie loved to explore, sometimes Mark or Lexie would catch them holding onto the coffee table as they walked around it.

But what they both loved the most was when Mark would hold their hands up above their head as they took unsteady steps around the room, he would smile like an idiot watching his daughters walk with him because it was a daddy daughter thing he could do with them.

"Lexie you have to leave at some point you know that right, there's a group of young, eager interns just waiting to have their spirits crushed" Mark teased, hoping that it would snap Lexie out of it and make her see sense.

Even though she loved every minute she had gotten to spend with her daughters over the last year Lexie couldn't wait to get back to work. She missed the smell of scrub soap and the adrenaline rush every surgeon got when they first stepped foot inside an O.R. But as she was finally faced with the guilt of leaving her daughters she wondered how Dr. Bailey did this.

After hearing her pager go off for the third time suddenly Lexie was brought back to reality and Mark got a glimpse of the old Lexie, the pre-baby Lexie. "Mommy loves you" she declared kneeling down to kiss them both on the cheeks, "but mommy has to go save a life now" she added with an eager smile.

"Mrs. Sloan I promise you that that they'll be fine" the nurse promised Lexie just as 3½ year old Tuck made his way over towards Hailey with a stuffed giraffe in his hands. Sitting across from her he offered Hailey the giraffe, but when she didn't take it he reached out and placed it gently on her lap.

After finally noticing the giraffe Hailey hugged its neck tightly with one hand and started patting its head with the other hand while giggling at Tuck.

"See she's already made a friend" the nurse declared.

Nodding her head Lexie smiled at how adorable the scene was before turning to Mark who stood behind her with a scowl on his face. "We're going to have trouble here" he announced with a displeasing tone.

Rolling her eyes at Mark's overreacting Lexie waved goodbye to the nurse and her daughters before dragging her husband out of the daycare.

As he reluctantly allowed his wife to pull him away Mark looked over his shoulder to see Tuck offer Hailey another gift, this time a book about farm animals that had been sitting beside him, and his 10 month old daughter except the gift.

"Come on Mark" Lexie repeated his own words mockingly as she pushed him onto the elevator, ignoring the sound of his muttering voice she reached out and squeezed his hand tightly.

* * *

"Well, well, well look what the cat dragged in" Izzie teased as she saw her best friend make her way into the Resident's locker room.

Standing by the door Lexie smiled nervously at the few lingering faces in the room, taking so long in the daycare meant that she was running late. But Lexie didn't mind that because now she didn't have everyone stairing at her, looking her up and down as they judge her abilities from afar.

Instead she got to spend a few moments getting her head together with only Izzie, Alex, Cristina and Meredith in the room.

"Welcome back Lexipedia" Alex greeted her with a fond smile. He actually missed having the walking; talking encyclopaedia around because in the last few months before her maternity leave Alex had gotten in to the habit of asking Lexie where he could find a particular type of journal article that he needed for cases.

"Yeah, yeah, she's back woopty freakin' do" Cristina commented with a bored look on her face.

"Cristina" Meredith hissed before turning her attention back to Lexie, "ignore her she's been in a bad mood all morning…"

"All morning, try all _week_" Alex scoffed in annoyance, if he had to put up with the extra moody and bitchy Cristina Yang for one more day somebody was going to pay…and so far he had it narrowed down to Cristina or Izzie.

"Yeah well you'd be moody to if your boyfriend was withholding sex" Izzie argued in Cristina's defence.

"And that's my cue to leave" Alex declared with a disgusted look.

"Alex" Izzie giggled; "you don't have to leave".

Stopping next to Lexie Alex shook his head "yes I do" he argued before putting on his lab coat.

"O'Malley's gone and that means I'm the last man standing…and if I let you chicks infect me with all this stupid girl talk then I'm gonna have to _beg _Sloan to kick my ass for me" Alex stated before turning his attention to Lexie. "Lexipedia it's good to have you back but just so you know, the second I step out that door the gloves come off" he warned her before leaving the room.

Giggling quietly at how much Alex sometimes reminded her of Mark Lexie looked around the room in search of a spare locker.

"You can have this one" Izzie announced pointing to the empty locker beside hers.

Lexie took a deep breath and shook her, "that was George's locker" she argued. Lexie knew for a fact that the Residents of Seattle Grace had left George's locker intentionally empty as a memory of George and she didn't want to be the one to take that memory away from them.

"Lexie George would want you to have it" Meredith encouraged her sister with a smile.

"George can't even believe that we've left it empty for this long" Izzie laughed, hoping that it would convince Lexie it was okay.

Smiling thankfully at Izzie Lexie nodded her head; "okay" she agreed and quickly made a beeline for George's old locker.

"So what is Bambi up to exactly?" Cristina asked Izzie because she knew that Izzie was the only one who actually still spoke to the man.

It wasn't that the others didn't care, they just didn't have time. It was impossible to find the time to talk to George when Cristina was struggling to handle surgeon's life and a fiancé who has PTSD. Meredith was struggling to make peace with the fact that Derek was the new interim Chief and being the Chief's wife until Webber got back and Lexie was trying to juggle a marriage, two babies and a husband. It wasn't easy but they also knew that it was no excuse and somewhere along the line the guilt and shame stoped them from picking up the phone.

Shaking her head Izzie giggled because she knew Cristina would get a kick out of this one...or maybe not. "Since he's now fully recovered George works at a free clinic in Louisiana, most days he's just treating minor things like the flu".

Cristina shook her head in shame, "Bambi held a man's heart inside an _elevator _and now he's treating runny noses…what a waste, why did Sloan even bother saving those hands" she sighed.

The three of them knew that Cristina didn't mean it, that she was just as grateful that George had survived then anyone else. But Lexie shook her head at Cristina's words, only her former resident would make an insensitive comment like that.

"Yeah well at least George isn't moody and bitchy because he's sexually frustrated unlike somebody in this room" Izzie argued in George's defence with an evil smirk.

Glaring at Izzie Cristina grabbed the nearest thing she could find, which happened to be an old scrub shirt she had left in her locker, and threw it at Izzie. She could hear Meredith and Lexie laughing in the background as her scrub shirt landed on top of Izzie's head, covering her face.

Accidentally taking a whiff of the shirt Izzie threw it on to the floor and kicked it towards the door, "Cristina that is disgusting, when was the last time you had your scrubs cleaned?"

"Cristina doesn't do cleaning" Meredith interjected with a smirk; she could still picture the state of Cristina's old apartment before she officially moved in with Burke.

Rolling her eyes Cristina decided to change the subject because she didn't need hygiene lectures from Izzie Stevens. "Bailey's on some sort of rampage, I think it's PDSD…

"PDSD" Izzie repeated hesitantly because she could already hear the totally inappropriate comment coming.

"Post Divorce Stress Disorder" Cristina answered bluntly like it was the most obvious thing in the world and the others were idiots for not figuring it out for themselves.

Trying to bite her tongue Lexie gave her sister a horrified look; she couldn't believe that Cristina Yang had just said that.

"She's freaking out about wedding stuff, she's not dealing with her emotions that come with planning a wedding, Cristina's doing what Cristina does best…she's avoiding" Meredith answered Lexie's silent question.

"You sound like Owen" Cristina grumbled with a scowl.

"Owen's withholding sex, so she's grumpy and inappropriate" Meredith explained to Izzie and Lexie.

"Is Mark doing that too? Withholding sex?" Cristina asked bluntly, hoping that if anyone else was being cut off from sex then it would be the lady with two babies.

Lexie stopped what she was doing and looked at Cristina, "why would Mark be withholding sex?" she asked while smiling like an idiot as she remembered the amazing sex she'd had this morning with her husband.

Cristina glared at Lexie in disgust, she knew what that smile meant and she couldn't believe that even Lexie was having sex and she wasn't.

"I hate you" she growled before slumping down on to the bench, "even the lady with _two _dribblers is having sex and I'm not" Cristina exclaimed throwing her hands up in the air.

Trying to hold back a giggle Lexie shook her head, "why is Owen withholding sex from you?"

"Owen thinks that Cristina is using sex as a distraction so they won't have to talk about the wedding. He thinks that Cristina still has some issues left over from the whole Burke thing so now he's withholding sex until she either deals with those issues or agrees to a date for the wedding…whichever one comes first" Meredith explained in one long sentence without stoping to take a breath.

"Well it looks like Cristina won't be having sex for a very long time" Lexie teased with an evil smile before quickly ducking as Cristina's sneaker came hurling towards her head.

Izzie screwed her nose up, "he's a smart man" she declared with suddenly all eyes on her.

"Excuse me?" Cristina asked with a threatening look because she was on the verge of killing someone.

"I'm just saying that Owen's managed to figure out what Alex, Derek and Mark haven't…"

"And that would be?" Lexie asked hesitantly.

"That if they really wanted to get their own way all they'd have to do is withhold sex" Izzie explained.

Shaking her head Lexie guffawed at Izzie's answer, "_my husband _withhold sex from me…yeah that'll be the day" she scoffed. "Trust me; Mark's more then happy to never get his way as long as it means guaranteed sex".

"So you're telling me that McSteamy's _never _said no to you or to sex" Izzie commented disbelievingly.

"In the house of Sloan it's a cardinal sin to say no to sex" Lexie informed them with a self-satisfied smile.

"I wanna live in her house" Cristina declared pointing at Lexie.

"Derek keeps bring up the topic of babies, I think he wants babies but I'm not sure that I'm ready yet" Meredith announced out of no where. "So I'm using work and sex as a way of distracting Derek and I think it's working for me…maybe a little _too _well. Should I be worried, because it's been three weeks since Derek last mentioned the word babies?"

"He's afraid of your crappy DNA" Cristina mumbled dryly.

"Cristina" Lexie hissed at the woman with a glaring look on her face. Lexie knew how big of a deal it was just to have Meredith consider babies and the last thing Derek needed was Cristina poking holes through his plans.

"Wow, no sex really does turn you into the _biggest _bitch" Izzie noted.

Nodding her head in agreement Cristina shrugged on her lab coat, "I miss sex. Ugh! I miss sex so much!" she pouted.

Shaking her head in disbelief Meredith grabbed her lab coat and pager before storming towards the door.

"What? Mer!" Cristina called out just as Meredith crossed paths with Dr. Bailey in the door way.

Looking over her shoulder at Meredith's retreating back Bailey shook her head; she didn't need nor want to know what Meredith's problem was because she was here on a mission.

"Dr. Grey welcome back to work" Dr. Bailey greeted Lexie with a serious face that screamed business. "I need a resident…"

"Oh I'm available" Cristina yelled eagerly as she waved her hand up in the air like a little kid.

"No" Dr. Bailey snapped at Cristina.

With her arms crossed Izzie smirked at the way Bailey had blatantly passed Cristina off, "what did you do to piss off Bailey?"

Rolling her eyes Cristina shrugged her shoulders and mouth PDSD to Izzie discretely behind Bailey's back.

"Grey you need a surgery and I have a one for you" Bailey panned, "32 year old male with end stage livers disease. There's a liver coming in from Mercy West so you better be ready to scrub in within the next 20 minutes" she ordered.

Dr. Bailey took a step to leave the room but stoped, "oh and Dr. Grey don't go getting any ideas about killing my patient. Make sure you know what you're doing because you'll be the one inserting the new liver and reconnecting the organ to the blood vessels and bile ducts" she announced casually.

"Uh ye, yes" Lexie stuttered, she was still trying to wrap her brain around the fact that Bailey had _offered _her a surgery.

"Why?" Lexie called out to Dr. Bailey's retreating back, "not that I'm trying to talk you out of letting me do this but why are you…I mean, what I'm saying is" Lexie began to ramble on while trying to ignore Cristina and her eye rolling. "It's my first day back at work and you're just going to _let _me reconnect a liver…a process that if not done properly could lead to the body rejecting the new liver".

"You created a human life" Dr. Bailey stated seriously, "you went and had a baby…you gave birth. And now you change diapers, you clean up spit and sing ABC's…you're covered in mommy, but that does not mean you are any less of a surgeon than Yang over there. You _are _a surgeon and you will _not_ be mommy tracked by the Chief or by any other man inside this hospital, because if they do then they'll have to answer to me" she argued with more passion then Lexie, Cristina and Izzie had ever seen in the woman.

"So what you're saying is that Lexie essentially gets to perform a solo surgery just so you can prove a point to the Chief" Izzie noted with a hint of scepticism.

"Do you have a problem with that Stevens" Dr. Bailey barked at Izzie.

"No" Izzie answered timidly, looking down at the floor.

"Good then you and Yang are on Clinic duty" she ordered before leaving the room.

Cristina threw her arms up in the air disbelievingly, "I can't believe this" she cried out in exasperation. "I'm fighting tooth and nail just so I can scrub in on a surgery and three here gets to reattach a liver just because she had a _baby_. If I had known that scoring surgeries was as easy as pushing out a 6 pound baby then I would have had a dozen of the little brats by now" Cristina grumbled.

"That…" Lexie trailed, "oh my god! That's…that is so rude. Brats? That is so…that…it…that…that's rude. That is SO RUDE!" Lexie yelled, storming out of the room.

Shaking her head Izzie gave Cristina a disappointed look before heading down to the Clinic like Dr. Bailey had ordered her to.

"What? Anyone else I can offend?" Cristina cried out throwing her hands up in the air in disbelief.

* * *

"My day had started off _great_…my day had started off with me personally giving a man his new liver" Lexie stated with a tight voice and a forced smile, hoping to remind herself of how great the day had started.

"And now" Derek asked hesitantly as he watched his sister take deep breaths in and out.

"And now I wanna kill someone because _interns _are idiots" she growled angrily before slamming a pile of charts on to the nurses' station that Derek, Mark and Owen were huddled around.

Owen jumped as the charts made a loud banging noise against the table; Lexie had managed to miss hitting his scalpel hand by barely an inch.

"I see somebody's enjoying her first day back at work" Owen pointed out sarcastically with a smirk but Lexie manage to wipe that smirk off his face with one glaring look.

Mark and Derek both shook their head in disbelief, Owen had been a part of the group…and more importantly a part of the family long enough to know that when it comes to the girls you never, ever make fun of a pissed off woman…especially a _Grey._

"They are morons….they're like from the land of idiots and I seemed to have scored the dumbest ones of all. I mean who the hell doesn't know how to insert an I.V. line?" she asked in disbelief before turning to Derek, "and more importantly who the hell _hired _these idiots…don't we have enough idiots running around from last year's group of interns, do we really need any more?"

"Lexie's spent far _too much time _with you" Derek teased Mark with a smirk.

"No Lexie's just in disbelief that she left her daughters downstairs in daycare to come and teach a bunch of unteachable morons" Lexie argued with her arms crossed while giving Derek a pointed stare.

"Why are you looking at me like that, it's not my fault…I'm not the ones who hired them" Derek argued, holding his hands up in self-defence.

"Because Lexie can't yell at the Chief because he isn't here…and even if he was I still couldn't yell at the Chief but right now you're the Chief. Right now Derek Shepherd is the interim Chief and I _can _yell at Derek Shepherd" Lexie argued with a sarcastically sweet smile.

"Uh why is Lexie referring to herself in the third person?" Mark asked his wife hesitantly, he always found it creepy whenever Lexie or Meredith would smile and yell at the same time. There was something sinister about it that made Mark cringe, like there was more to come and they'd strike when he stopped looking.

"Because Lexieis pissed off" she answered in the third person again in an attempt to reinforce her point.

"Duly noted" Mark answered back swiftly.

"You know Lexie you don't have to be here if you don't want to" Owen commented out of nowhere.

"Excuse me?" Lexie asked indignantly, her arms crossed and her right foot tapping.

"Well, I um, um" Owen stammered, looking at Mark and Derek for help.

Standing behind Lexie Mark and Derek shook their head while taking a step back for dramatic effect; they weren't dumb enough to fall for that one.

Sighing in disbelief Owen shook his head; he couldn't believe that his two best friends were going to let him drown so they could save themselves. "All I meant was that Mark makes more than enough money for you to be able to stay at home with the girls, it's not like you_ have_ to work for financial reasons" Owen explained, trying to use logic to calm Lexie down.

Relaxing her entire body Lexie sighed, "Owen you don't think I haven't told myself that over a dozen times already since scrubbing out of surgery with Dr. Bailey".

With a furrowed brow directed at Lexie Mark thought about Owen's comment, he had just assumed that she would want to come back to work. Neither of them had ever brought up the idea of Lexie extending her maternity leave indefinitely. But now Mark was beginning to worry that maybe his wife had felt pressured into coming back to work, that _he _made her feel like there was no other option when there was definitely another option.

Taking a step closer towards his wife Mark soothingly rubbed her shoulders from behind, "Lex Hunt is right, if you don't want to be here or if you're not ready for it then all you have to do is just say so. I don't want you doing anything that _you _aren't ready for" Mark told her with a sincere smile.

Solemnly shaking her head Lexie turned around to face Mark, "I know I'm probably complaining a lot but I just need to get back into the swing of things. Besides if I do that, if I stay at home, I know that I'll only end up regretting my decision and resenting you for having this amazing surgical career while I'm stuck at home and I don't want that to happen" Lexie confessed.

"Are you sure?" Mark asked hesitantly, wrapping his arms around her waist he kissed her firmly on the lips.

Nodding her head Lexie smiled brightly at Mark, "positive".

"Hey how did the surgery go?" Izzie asked, coming out of nowhere with a pile of x-rays for Derek to take a look at.

"I gave a man a new liver" Lexie declared with a proud smile, she could still feel the adrenaline rush coursing through her body as she meticulously reattached ever blood vessel and every bile duct to the man's new liver all on her own.

The rush she was on at the time soared even higher as Dr. Bailey went over her sutures and nodded her head appraisingly, and when the liver began to show signs of blood flow Lexie could even see the smile hiding behind Dr. Bailey's surgical mask…the once organiser of a crazy cabal of secret cutter interns had just managed to impress Dr. Miranda Bailey.

"Awesome" Izzie applauded with a nodding head, "but I'd stay away from Cristina. All she has going for her today are sutures and broken bones".

"Broken bones can be surgical" Lexie argued while trying not to laugh at the idea of Cristina moping around the clinic.

"Yeah but it's not the same as Bailey letting you reattach the blood vessels and bile ducts on a liver transplant" Izzie replied, the both of them completely ignoring the three men who were standing there with confused looks.

"Dr. Bailey let _you _reconnect the blood vessels and bile ducts on her liver transplant" Derek asked.

"Yes Dr. Bailey let me reconnect the blood vessels and bile ducts to the new liver and why did you say it like that?" Lexie questioned back with a furrowed brow directed at Derek.

"You're a resident…"

"So?" Izzie interrupted.

Glaring at Izzie for a split second Derek turned his attention back to Lexie, "it's your first day back…it's your first day back after being on maternity leave for nearly a whole year…"

"You Derek Shepherd are not seriously suggesting that just because I'm a mother that no longer makes me qualified to be a surgeon" Lexie warned Derek. The last person she had expected to be mommy tracking her as Bailey had put it was Derek, sure Lexie had expected it from Mark or even Owen but Derek…Derek Shepherd hadn't even been given a second thought.

"Would you help me out here" Derek pleaded with Mark.

Shaking his head Mark smirked at how easy Derek could burry himself in a huge hole when it came to the Grey women. "She gives me sex and I'd particularly like to keep it that way so you're on your own buddy".

Sighing in disbelief Derek looked over at Owen who immediately began to shake his head as well, "dig _your self _out of your own hole" Owen teased.

"Well I'm waiting" Lexie announced with a serious look on her face.

"Lexie you're my sister and I love you and you know that" Derek argued hoping to play the family card to score points, "and I would never imply that Mattie and Hailey have somehow hindered your ability to be an incredible surgeon…"

"But…" Izzie trailed with an evil grin, she loved watching the men squirm…particularly when they're trying to dig themselves out of their own mess.

"_But_" Derek stressed the word with a glaring look at Izzie, "from a Chief's point of view allowing a resident, who may I remind you has only been a resident for less than 5 hours, to perform a solo surgery is an open lawsuit waiting to happen" he argued. "Lexie I'm not saying that you don't know what you're doing, you just haven't been a resident long enough…"

"Do you really think that Dr. Bailey is that stupid?" Lexie interjected. "She was there the entire time hovering over my shoulder as I performed the reattachment of the organ, she even checked and re-checked my sutures and the blood flow to the liver before we closed him up…there was _no _solo surgery".

"And what did she say?" Izzie asked curiously.

"I impressed her, I Dr. Lexie Grey not only managed to impress but also make Dr. Miranda Bailey _smile _because my sutures were just that good" Lexie declared smugly.

"Lexie that's all well and good but that…"

"Derek stop being such an ass and just congratulate your sister on a successful surgery" Izzie ordered with an annoyed look.

"Congratulations" Derek relented with a genuine smile.

"See now that wasn't so hard" Izzie noted, "and besides you won't get caught in the middle of Dr. Bailey's lesson".

"What lesson?" Owen asked.

"Dr. Bailey is trying to teach the Chief a lesson" Lexie jumped in.

"And what lesson would that be exactly?" Derek added.

"That changing diapers, cleaning up spit and singing ABC's doesn't make Lexie any less of a surgeon then you" Izzie answered looking at Owen, "or you" she moved on to Derek, "or you" finally finishing with Mark. "She gave birth just like Dr. Bailey and she is a surgeon just like Dr. Bailey and Dr. Bailey's little lesson is to prove to the Chief that you can't mommy track a surgeon".

"And you're okay with being Bailey's new pawn?" Mark asked with a scowl on his face, he wasn't too thrilled about the idea of his wife being used in Bailey's game.

"Hey as long as I get to keep reattaching body parts Dr. Bailey can do whatever she wants with me" Lexie declared resolutely.

"So basically you're whoring yourself out to Dr. Bailey for surgeries" Owen commented.

With a threatening look Lexie slowly walked over to Owen like a lion circling its prey. "Really, _you _of all people wanna talk about residents whoring themselves out after they've been _cut off_" Lexie asked suggestively

"Girls talk" Izzie added with a wicked grin.

"You might want to consider that the next time you judge me" Lexie suggested with a smug smile.

"Uh don't you have interns to check on, you know make sure that they don't kill any patients" Owen asked the two of them nervously just as an intern yelled out to Lexie from down the hallway.

"Dr. Grey I can't find the patient's vein" the intern called out.

Smiling brightly at Owen Lexie shook her head, "you know what I'm not even going to let that get to me" she announced pointing at her intern before leaving with Izzie in tow.

Chuckling awkwardly Owen tried to ignore Mark and Derek's questioning look, "those girls…they can be quite something huh?" he laughed humourlessly.

Shaking his head Mark decided to let it go because he knew that he could always ask Lexie about it later tonight, "now are you sure you can handle this…are you sure that _Cristina _can handle this?" he asked for the millionth time.

Owen rolled his eyes, "are you insinuating that my _fiancé _can't handle two little girls aged 10 months old?" he asked but shook his head. "On second thought don't answer that question" he corrected himself.

"I can't believe I'm actually doing this…I'm trusting Cristina Yang with my baby girls" Mark stated with a disbelieving look on his face.

"You could always leave them with Karev" Derek suggested, laughing at his own joke.

"Ha, ha, ha" Mark mimicked Derek's laugh sarcastically, "don't quit your day job".

"Look everything's going to be fine okay" Owen reassured him, "I'll pick the girls up from daycare after my shift ends and take them back to the house. You just go enjoy your night and be the charming and loving husband that makes the rest of us look bad".

"I still can't believe that it was a year ago today that Lexie actually married you" Derek commented.

"I can't believe she actually stuck with it for this long" Owen teased.

"So what's the plan exactly because clearly Lexie didn't remember" Derek pointed out.

"Dinner at Lexie's favourite restaurant Camparo's and then I've booked the penthouse at the Archfield" Mark answered.

"And you'll be staying the night at Mark and Lexie's?" Derek checked with Owen.

"Yep, my shift doesn't start until tomorrow afternoon so Cristina and I will be spending the night there" Owen reassured Derek.

It was surprising how protective everyone had become over the girls in the last 10 months.

"And Lexie really doesn't remember what today is?" Derek asked disbelievingly.

Mark shrugged his shoulders causally "she has a lot on her plate today what with coming back to work and the girls starting daycare…it really isn't a big deal".

"You do realise that planning this whole romantic night is only going to make her feel bad about forgetting" Owen warned him.

Mark shook his head, "this isn't about trying to make my wife feel bad. This is about me trying to show Lexie that I'm grateful she took a chance and agreed to marry me…every night it's always about me and the girls so tonight this is all about Lexie".

"And _now _he has officially made us look like the bad guys" Derek declared teasingly.

"I know" Mark agreed smugly, "but until then I have to go and build someone an organ".

* * *

Smiling brightly Lexie walked out of the hospital doors and made her way over to Mark, "hi" she spoke softly.

"Hi yourself" he replied with a matching smile.

"Where are the girls?" Lexie asked; her smile quickly diminishing as she realised there was no sign of Hailey or Mattie.

"They're at home with Owen and Yang" Mark answered like it was no big deal.

"What, why are they…how…did you…Mark" Lexie growled his name; "why are my daughters at home with _Owen and Cristina_. Did it ever occur to you that I wanted to pick my daughters up from the daycare and take them home, I haven't seen them in over 8 hours" Lexie rambled on animatedly as Mark took a step forward.

"Happy one year anniversary" Mark whispered moving his arm away from his back to reveal a single yellow rose.

Lexie stopped rambling and looked at Mark with a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach, "what are you…no, today isn't…our anniversary's on the 6th of July and today, today is…_crap_" Lexie exclaimed throwing her hands up in the air as she suddenly realised what today's date was.

"Lexie its okay" Mark tried to reassure her with a sympathetic smile.

"No it isn't…it is _not _okay. I forgot; I was so wrapped up with coming back to work and the girls starting daycare that I _forgot _our anniversary. I'm not supposed to forget our anniversary, that's your job" Lexie argued.

"Okay can we start from the beginning please" Mark pleaded with her.

"Mark…" Lexie trailed hopelessly.

"Happy Anniversary" he repeated holding out the yellow rose.

Shaking her head in disbelief Lexie smiled faintly as she took the rose, "yellow?"

Mark shrugged his shoulders, "red roses are clichéd and besides if my memory serves me correct you were holding a bouquet of yellow roses when you walked down the aisle".

Taking the rose she snaked an arm around Mark's neck and kissed him gently on the lips, "I can't believe you remember that" she teased.

"I can't believe that you actually married me" Mark hit back, "but I've learnt to stop second guessing it and go with the flow. So this is the part where I say thank you and kiss you passionately" he told Lexie before stealing her breath away with a long, hard and passionate kiss.

When he pulled his lips gently from hers she leaned in to reclaim them but he tilted his head back, "I think we really need to get out of here before the entire hospital gets a free show" Mark teased.

"Well what did you have planned?" Lexie asked curiously as she let Mark lead her towards the car park.

"How hungry are you?" he asked because Mark was quickly beginning to realise that he wasn't really that hungry for food.

"That depends on the alternative" she answered with a suggestive smile.

"Well I did have reservations at Camparo's but…"

"But"

"I also booked a suite at the Archfield…"

"Well we know for a fact that the Archfield does have room service" Lexie cut in with a hungry look in her eye that Mark couldn't mistake for anything else but desire.

Holding the car door open for Lexie Mark nodded his head, "Archfield it is then" he declared before closing the door and jogging over to the driver's side.

"Hey I had an idea" he commented as Mark got in the car and started the engine.

"Really and what's that?" Lexie asked with a teasing smile.

"Well I was thinking that since I'm getting a bit rusty on the periodic table I thought that maybe you could teach me" Mark teased with an evil smile.

Smacking him across the arm Lexie shook her head with a pathetic glare, "I am _never _going to live that one down am I?"

"Hey it's the only reason I married you" he argued playfully as Mark pulled out of the hospital car park.

* * *

_Wow that took a while to right (no pun intended on how long it's taken to update) but it's finally up and I hope that many of you take the time to review this chapter because I'd really love to know what you all think so I can get some sort of idea on where I should go with this._


	45. Chapter 45

_**Author's note: **__After reading many of your wonderful reviews I've decided that sadly this story must come to an end. I've had a lot of fun writing this story and reading many of your reviews, I still can't get over the fact that so many people actually like reading what I write but as long somebody keeps reading then I'll keep writing. So this is the final chapter of Past and Present Danger but I've still got a few more stories to finish and many more ideas. _

_Just an added Author's note_**_: _ just doing what i should have done yesterday but didn't becuase i was in such a rush to get this up before the easter long weekend so I'd like to acknowledge that a few lines of Mark Sloan's speech are actually the creative ideas from the writers of E.R. for the character of Mark Green. And if anyone has realised this and if i may have offended them then i apologise becuase trully that was never my intention.  
**

* * *

**Epilogue:**

Playing with her keys Lexie reflected over this huge change they were about to make in their lives. It wasn't something that they had considered lightly, it was quite the opposite, with long conversations that lasted throughout many nights as they weighed up the pros and cons. But despite all the back and forth that went on between the two of them Lexie knew that they were doing the right thing, it was an amazing opportunity for Mark and he deserved it.

Tossing her keys up into the air Lexie caught them and looked around the deserted living room, taking in the stillness of the house as she remembered a handful of events that had taken place in that very room. It looked bigger without all the furniture cluttering the room and as she spotted a mark across one of the walls she tried to remember if she had seen that before.

Laughing faintly at herself Lexie shook her head and took a deep breath, part of her couldn't believe that they were doing this but there was another part of her that was excited. She was ready to move on, ready to let go of her mom's death, of George being hit by a bus and of Izzie's cancer…she was ready to move on and finally live her life without all the bitterness she had felt the night Izzie almost died.

Feeling the soft touch of Mark's hand rubbing the back of her neck Lexie was pulled out of her thoughts and closed her eyes so she could enjoy this moment alone with Mark.

Watching her closely Mark massaged the back of her neck tenderly, "if you don't want to do this then we don't have to" he reminded her for the millionth time with a loving smile.

Opening her eyes Lexie pulled him up against her body and kissed Mark slowly on the lips. "You are my husband and I love you, I'd go to the moon if that's what you wanted" she sighed contently.

"But what do _you _want?" Mark asked with a tormented look on his face, there was a part of him that was still worried that he was forcing Lexie into this and he didn't want her to ever feel like that.

Gently stroking his face Lexie smiled lovingly, "I already have everything I want…I have an incredible husband and two beautiful baby girls, there's nothing more that I want" she promised before burying her face in his chest.

Wrapping his arm around her waste Mark stroked her hair as he looked around the empty room, "why does this room suddenly look bigger" he commented with a smirk, hoping that it would make Lexie laugh and it did.

Hearing the muffled sounds of her soft giggle being covered by his shirt was like music to his ears. She had done so much for him already, but doing this one last thing for him only reaffirmed what Mark had already known…that he didn't deserve her, that she was far too good for him.

Looking up at Mark Lexie spotted the girls sound asleep in their baby carriers by the doorway. Smiling lovingly at Hailey and Mattie it almost made Lexie sad knowing that neither of them would remember that this was the house that they been brought home to from the hospital, or that it was in this living room that Mark had stayed up for six hours with Mattie when she had an ear infection at three months old.

To Hailey and Mattie Sloan all that mattered was that they had their mother, their father and a place to sleep…everything else was just extra trimmings, and Lexie promised herself that the girls would always be reminded of this house even if they didn't remember.

"They're gonna hate us" Lexie sighed, finally looking at Mark.

"They're not gonna hate us" he argued but even Mark didn't buy that. He knew that the hardest thing for Lexie was the way that they had chosen to go about this but at the end of the day it was her decision.

Lexie had made the call, deciding that it would be too hard to say goodbye to everybody they loved because she knew she'd cry and there wasn't anything to cry about…this wasn't a bad thing, so they decided to wait till d-day to tell everyone what was going on.

"If Derek did this you'd kill him" Lexie pointed out with a playful smirk.

"Yeah well Derek's good with all the emotional stuff I'm not" he pouted, "but you're right they're gonna hate us" he agreed looking around the room one last time.

Four years ago when he moved to Seattle it had been for the sole purpose of winning Derek's friendship back, of trying correct his mistakes…he had never expected to find a wife or a family but he did. This place had given him something that New York never could and for that Seattle would always be his favourite place in the whole world. It gave him a family…a beautiful wife, two daughters and a hand full of people who he thought of like brothers and sisters and he hated to have to say goodbye to all of that, but at the same time he was excited for what was in store.

Shaking her head Lexie took a step back because she could feel the tears beginning to build up and she refused to cry today, today was a good day.

Chuckling at his wife Mark gently grabbed her by the arms and kissed her softly on the lips but quickly the kiss turned passionate, and he could hear Lexie moaning as his lips moved against hers when he realised that this was the last kiss they would ever share in this house.

Walking over to the girls Mark crouched down beside Mattie who had just woken up, "you don't really know what's going on do you?" he asked his daughter.

Kicking her legs around Mattie squealed because the sight of the empty room was funny to her.

"I thought so" Mark sighed as a tall, burly man suddenly walked into the hallway.

"We're gonna move onto the third room Mr. Sloan" the man called out.

Sticking his head out into the hallway Mark nodded in agreement, "have the other two rooms been cleared out?" he questioned the man.

"We grabbed everything that we could see but just to make sure you should probably do a check of the house before we leave" the man suggested before jogging upstairs to meet up with the other three men.

Turning his attention back to the girls Mark noticed that Mattie had fallen back to sleep and he smiled lovingly at her. They were his little angels…his gift from up above and he was doing this for them, he was doing this because Mark had been blessed when he believed he shouldn't have been and for that he wanted to give something back.

Smiling lovingly at her husband Lexie made her way over to the three of them and sat down on the floor, with her back pressed up against Mark she sat in front of him as they looked around the room…each of them thinking about the things they were going to miss about Seattle.

"Okay we're here" Derek called out nearly two hours later as he made his way into the living room; he stopped in his tracks at the sight of the empty room. Completely dumbfounded he looked around until he spotted Mark and Lexie getting up off the floor.

"Woah were you two robbed" Alex teased as he made his way over to Mattie. Picking up the 10 month old baby he held her up above his head and she squealed, reaching out for Alex's hair to hold on.

"I wouldn't do that she just ate" Mark warned with a smirk just as Owen, Meredith, Cristina, Izzie, Callie and Arizona walked into the room.

Taking Mattie from Alex Meredith pushed him aside, "why do you men insist on throwing my nieces around like a tennis ball" Meredith scolded them.

"Because they like it" Derek answered, creeping over to an unsuspecting Hailey she squealed when he attacked and began tickling her mercilessly.

"So I, uh, I just heard a rumour is it true?" Izzie questioned her best friend but by the state of the room something was telling her that it wasn't so much a rumour.

"What's the rumour?" Lexie asked; she could feel her heart racing while she tried to keep her eyes on Hailey instead of looking at Izzie because if she did Lexie knew she'd lose it.

"That Mark got a job at Mass General; that you're moving to Boston" Izzie answered timidly.

"Jesus those nurses' seriously will come up with anything when they're bored, I don't think they have enough work to do around there" Cristina grumbled with a scowl.

While everyone else jumped into the conversation and argued about the unprofessionalism of the nurses' gossiping Meredith watched her sister and brother who were far too silent for her liking. She saw the way they were sharing a look, having a silent debate between the two of them, and that worried Meredith even more.

"Who told you that?" Meredith asked Izzie while keeping her eyes trained on Lexie.

"A Girl who works in H.R. told a scrub nurse" Izzie answered defensively, she was hurt that Meredith would think she'd go spreading idol gossip about her best friend's husband without some sort of credible source.

Not picking up on the tension that was growing between Meredith, Izzie and Lexie Cristina started laughing, "oh really is it the same girl that said I was pregnant with Owen's love child because I threw up from food poisoning?"

"Okay Lexie what the hell is going on" Meredith snapped at her sister; if her family was hiding something from her then she wanted to know what it was _right now_.

"Mer…"

"Don't" she warned Mark pointing a finger at him, "don't tell me that it's nothing because otherwise you wouldn't have called this morning and ordered us to '_get our butts here_' here" she argued.

Standing side by side Lexie held her breath as she nodded her head to signal Mark that it was oaky to do it now.

"I'm sorry" Lexie apologised immediately, looking Meredith in the eye but everyone understood that she was explaining to all of them. "But Mark got a job offer from Mass Gen…"

"But you work at Seattle Grace….you have a contract" Derek tried to argue logically with his best friend.

Mark shook his head glumly, he hated the fact that they had to do this at all but at the same time he was excited because Mass Gen was offering him so much more then Seattle Grace ever could.

"I talked to Richard…"

"So that's what was going on when I saw you shaking hands with Richard and Jennings" Owen sighed in understanding.

"They were agreeing to let you out of your contract" Meredith pointed out with a frown; she didn't understand why the Chief would agree to this when Mark brought in the biggest revenue for the hospital.

"It still doesn't explain why you're moving to Boston" Izzie snapped impatiently, throwing her hands up in the air.

"Oh don't look at me like that" Mark whined at Derek who looked like somebody had just kicked his dog.

"Well jeez Mark I'm sorry that I'm not jumping up and down for joy because my brother and his family are moving to _Boston_" he apologised sarcastically.

"Look we didn't want to move…"

"So then don't go" Callie argued because that made logical sense to her.

Mark shook his head, "it's not that simple…" he argued.

"Yes it is" Callie exclaimed, "you don't want to move then you don't move. You already have a job here in Seattle…you have a job and a _family _here so if you don't want to move then you don't move".

"When I signed on to work at Seattle Grace Richard promised me that I'd be able to use some of the revenue I generated from my elective surgeries to start up a burns unit but four years later and he's still shutting me down…"

"A patient's husband made a sizeable donation to Mass General a few months ago and they've been trying to decide how to use the money" Lexie added.

"So where do you come into this" Owen asked pointing at Mark.

"The Chief of surgery at Mass General is an old friend from Columbia Med; we worked together for a few years in New York and he always knew that the burns unit is something that means a lot to me. So when the money came his way he gave me a call…"

"Last week he called and asked Mark if he'd be interested in moving to Boston to start up a burns unit at Mass General using _all _of the money that's been donated" Lexie cut in again.

They were like a tag team, taking turns to explain the reasons why they were moving because it was easier then to leave Mark shouldering the burden.

"How much money are we talking about?" Arizona asked. It felt like déjà vu all over again, like her own $25 million donation only she didn't have to move out of state for it.

"$43 million" Mark answered bluntly, he heard Alex whistling in the background in astonishment.

"Mark can do a lot of good with that kind of money" Lexie explained, giving each of them a pleading look to understand why they were doing this.

"You've generated probably double that amount working at Seattle Grace in the last four years, talk to Richard…I'm sure that he'd be willing to make some sort of deal" Derek tried to reason.

"I asked Richard point blank if he had any intentions of letting me start up my burns unit or if he was just stringing me along, I gave him an ultimatum…" Mark stalled. "Derek he was the one who told me to take the job in Boston, and he's the one who convinced Jennings to release me from my contract" he explained.

"How soon are you leaving?" she asked with a raspy voice, Callie could feel her body shake fearfully…the nurses' had finally managed to get one piece of gossip right.

"Tonight" Lexie answered straight out, the jig was up so there was no point in lying to them anymore and she really didn't want to be anyway.

"Tonight" Meredith screeched in disbelief as she let the shock pass over, "Lexie" she scolded her baby sister.

The room went quiet as everyone took their news in, they all tried imagining a Seattle Grace without Mark and Lexie but they couldn't…it just didn't seem right or natural to any of them.

"Look I know this sucks oaky" Lexie laughed humourlessly, wiping away a few tears that had managed to escape. "But we talked about this, we talked until we were blue in the face and…and as much as we love each and everyone of you this is something that Mark needs to do and we will be with him every step of the way" she declared, taking Mark's hand in hers and squeezing it tightly.

"That…that's, you can't" Callie sobbed, unchecked tears running down her face. "I…I need time to get used to the fact that you guys are leaving, we need to throw you a going away party, we need to…we need to say goodbye but we can't because that's not enough time…you haven't given us enough time to say goodbye" she rambled frantically.

Mark marched over to Callie and gripped her in a big bear hug, stroking her hair he whispered in to her ear that everything was going to be okay and that they'd see each other again pretty soon.

With her face buried in his chest Callie took a deep breath and willed the tears away, she wanted to remember this moment…to remember what it felt like to have her best friend be there for her because by tomorrow night Mark wouldn't be just a car ride away anymore.

"Callie it's not like we're moving to the Antarctic, it's only a five hour flight away or a two day drive" he argued diplomatically. Mark could see that everyone one was upset about the news and sad about their move, including himself, but it's something they had to do.

"Hey I'm happy for you, I really am" Meredith spoke up even if it was a lie. "I'm happy for Mark, for you and for the girls even if it kills me to think that you won't be working here anymore. You'll be living far away and I wish you would have told us" Meredith said.

Letting out a breath Lexie shook her head, this is exactly what she was afraid of, seeing that hurt look on Meredith's face made her feel so guilty that it was unexplainable.

"Well what for" she exclaimed throwing her hands up in the air, "what so you can plan some embarrassing party?" Lexie rambled even though she knew that Meredith would never do that.

"Because we're a family…because I'm your _sister_" Meredith argued with a hurt look on her face. She really believed that after everything they had been through that they were passed keeping secrets from each other.

"Well we're still gonna be sisters aren't we?" Lexie questioned Meredith with a teasing smile.

Looking at Lexie Meredith walked over to her sister and hugged her, "and you're okay with this?" she asked Lexie seriously. Because as much as she hated the idea of them moving to Boston if Lexie was okay with this then so was she.

"Meredith he's my husband and I love him…this means a lot to Mark, it's something that he's always wanted and unfortunately Seattle Grace can't give him that" she argued.

Pulling back Meredith nodded her head, "okay" she agreed while trying really hard not to cry.

"And rule of today is no crying" Lexie ordered with a laugh but she had to turn away so Meredith wouldn't see her wiping her eyes.

Smiling sadly at her sister Meredith hugged her one last time, she hated the fact that it had taken her so long to trust Lexie and to let her in because she had wasted so much time. Meredith felt like they were just beginning to really act like sisters and now she was leaving, but if it's what Lexie and Mark wanted then Meredith was going to play the supportive big sister.

"You suck" Izzie cried and hugged her best friend tightly.

Locked in a hug Lexie wiped her eyes and laughed sadly, "I promise that we'll come and visit as soon as possible" she vowed pulling away.

"You better because otherwise I'll come and hunt you down" Izzie warned Mark and Lexie.

"Well we hope that you all come and visit us at least _once_" Mark laughed with a grin, he could breathe a bit easier seeing that everyone was a little less upset about it.

"Well have you found a buyer for the house?" Izzie asked, trying to act like the best friend who has it all together.

"Actually…" Lexie trailed looking over at Mark who nodded for her to tell them the news. "We've been talking about that and well…"

"Well what, spit it out little Grey" Cristina snapped and there were various laughs heard because nobody had referred to Lexie as little Grey in a long time.

"Ellis Grey gave her daughter this house, and Meredith gave it to me so it's sort of become a tradition that it's passed on to a Grey woman…" she trailed looking over at Owen and Cristina. "And we know that you're not a Grey by blood but technically you've been a sister to Meredith longer than I have…and you are one half of the _twisted sisters_" she reminded Cristina while sneaking a look in at Owen.

Shaking his head Owen laughed, he had never expected his little nickname for Cristina and Meredith to catch on but it did and now they all used it whenever they felt like teasing Meredith or Cristina.

"And since Izzie and Alex have their own place we were thinking…we were thinking that maybe you and Owen would like to have the house" Lexie suggested anxiously.

Completely thrown off guard Owen and Cristina looked at each other in shock, the last thing they had expected when they came over was to be losing two friends and gaining a house.

"We can't…" Owen stumbled in disbelief.

"But you can and we want you to…" Lexie pushed, looking at her sister for approval and Meredith nodded her head. "_We both do_" Lexie emphasised taking Meredith's hand in hers as a sign of solidarity.

"Mer…" Cristina trailed; she was touched and lost for words…two things that Cristina Yang _never_ was.

"We want you to have the house Cristina" Meredith agreed; "you're as much a part of this family as me or Lexie…"

"And besides I owe you" Lexie jumped in, "because you've always been there for Mer. When she had no one else she still had you, you made sure that she had a family when I couldn't be there for her...so Cristina I'm asking you to take the house because it's as much as yours as it is ours" she pleaded.

Walking over to Lexie and Meredith Cristina hugged Lexie tightly before moving on to Meredith. She didn't know what to say to that and she didn't cry in public so hugging was the only way Cristina could show them how grateful she was.

Knowing how big of a deal it was to show anyone public displays of affections said a lot to Owen, and as he looked around the living room he nodded his head, "but we're paying you for the house" he warned Mark.

"You'll pay what we paid Meredith and Derek and not a penny more" Mark agreed.

Owen was about to object when the movers made a sound from the hallway, "Mr. Sloan we've finished up here" the man declared hesitantly as he took in the crowded living room.

"You have the address right?" Lexie checked with the man who nodded his head.

"We should probably hit the road now, it's going to take at least two days to get there" the mover warned them.

"If you guys have the address then you can head off now, we're gonna be a little bit longer" Mark ordered the man.

"That's no problem with us" the man agreed and left the house.

"So this is it, you're really leaving" Derek sighed, he couldn't imagine living so far away from Mark…they'd been joined to the hip since they were little boys.

Pulling away from Callie's grip Mark walked over to the staircase where he had a bottle sitting on the floor along with a box of glasses. "You don't seriously think I'd leave without having one last drink with you huh" he asked Derek disbelievingly.

"Well you were gonna leave without saying goodbye" Izzie grumbled as she took one of the glasses that Derek and Owen were passing around.

Smirking at Izzie's pout Owen shook his head and held his glass out as Mark cracked open the bottle and poured him some, "think of this as a celebration Stevens" he suggested.

"How can you men even think about celebrating when Mark and Lexie are leaving…they're _moving to another state_" she pouted.

Walking over to Izzie Lexie wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "well think of it this way Izz, we're celebrating the amazing four years that me and Mark have had in Seattle and the life that Owen and Cristina are going to share in this house just like Derek and Mer did and just like me and Mark" Lexie instructed her best friend.

Not being able to fight with that argument Izzie sighed in defeat and held her glass out to Derek.

"You two better come back for the wedding" Cristina warned them with a threatening look pointed at Lexie. "If I'm going to let Barbie over there plan it then I need somebody who can rein her in".

"Hey what about me" Alex asked pretending to be insulted.

Shaking her head Cristina rolled her eyes, "you men don't actually control anything; we just let you _think_ that you do".

Breaking out into a chorus of laughs they all moved to a form circle, standing next to their respective partners with half a glass of single malt scotch.

Holding her glass out in a toast Lexie looked around at the people who had become her family "we're gonna miss you guys…and we'll be thinking about you all the time" she promised then looked at Mark to see if he wanted to add anything.

Wrapping his arm around Lexie's waste Mark held his glass out, "It's funny I came to Seattle to get Derek back and now I'm leaving with a wife and two babies…and it turns out I can't return them" he chuckled and everyone joined in.

Rolling her eyes Lexie nudged Mark with her elbow, "I' m only kidding" he laughed tapping Lexie on the waste in a comforting gesture.

"Seriously though I'll miss you all and that dingy place" Mark declared with a teasing smirk. "And as much as a part of me would like to believe that the O.R. can't go on without us, the smarter part realises that you are an incredible group of doctors who approach everyday with such skill, compassion and thoroughness, that when it comes to patient care, I know our absence will hardly be felt..."

"It won't be the same without you two" Callie interjected in protest; "who's going to give me advice and remind me that none of you speak Spanish when I have one of my breakdowns?" she laughed sadly.

Shaking his head Mark chuckled, "Callie you're gonna be fine without us and if worse comes to worse Derek's here…I mean he's not me, but think of him as Shadow Sloan" he teased shooting Derek a cheeky grin.

Derek was about to make a remark but he stopped, watching everyone laugh at Mark's joke he decided to let it go because it was the last time they'd all be in the same room to enjoy Mark's weird sense of humour…even if he was the butt of the joke.

"Somewhere along the line this became my home and you all became my family…_our _family" Mark corrected himself, "and like Lexie said we'll miss all of you like crazy but in order to leave we had to go this way. Neither of us could handle the long drawn out goodbyes where we all act like we'll never see each other again, so we _both _decided that this was the best way for everyone" he explained looking down at Lexie who nodded her head in agreement.

"To friends and family" Derek raised his glass and everyone repeated the words after him before knocking their glasses together and taking a sip.

"Karev make sure you give the interns hell because they'll need someone to put the fear of god into them, and we both know that _McDreamy_ sure as hell won't do it" Mark teased because he wasn't comfortable anymore with all serious emotions. "And Yang, Stevens, big Grey do me a favour…try not to cut anymore LVAD wires, organise a crazy cabal of secret cutter interns or play puppeteers on Attendings because I don't wanna have to come back and kick your butts into line" he ordered with a cheeky grin.

"I'm never gonna live that down am I?" Lexie asked disbelievingly.

A chorus of laughter erupted in the empty living room as the little circle they had formed broke up and they all took their turns giving Lexie and Mark a hug goodbye.

"Take care of him oaky" Derek ordered Lexie with a serious look, "make sure that he doesn't do anything stupid or try to pick any fights because I won't be there to save his sorry butt" he teased.

Shaking her head Lexie giggled at her brother, "he's going to miss you the most…we're both going to miss you" she whispered then kissed him on the cheek.

"You and I lucked out big Grey" Mark said giving Meredith a hug, "for whatever reason those two decided to take a chance on us and now it's up to us to prove to them that they made the right choice and as much as I'd like to say that you'll need me you won't" he sighed sadly.

"Too bad you won't have Mer around to make sure you don't screw it up" Cristina interrupted with a smirk.

With an arm slung around Meredith's shoulder Mark smirked at Cristina, "I was wrong about you Yang, you are a single malt scotch".

Meredith rolled her eyes and simply kissed Mark on the cheek, "I'm gonna miss your sense of humour….or at least I'm gonna miss laughing _at _you".

With a furrowed brow Cristina looked at Meredith for some sort of explanation but Meredith shrugged her shoulders, "don't even bother trying to figure it out, boy talk will only give you a headache" she teased.

"And I am going to miss you most of all" Callie declared scooping Hailey up into her arms, "what are we going to do without you huh?" she asked the baby who just laughed at her godmother.

"We should get going" Mark suggested to Lexie with a sad smile.

Nodding her head in understanding Lexie moved to pick Mattie up but Derek beat her to it, "mind if I take her?" he asked.

"Go right ahead" she agreed and followed Derek out of the house with Callie and Hailey trailing behind.

"Here we go" Lexie called out with a wide smile on her face as she held the back car door open for Derek who strapped Mattie in while Callie did the same on the other side.

After making sure that both girls were strapped in securely, they all took a turn each giving Hailey and Mattie a kiss goodbye. Not really understanding what was going on the girls simply laughed everytime they were given a kiss of someone tickled their feet.

"Have we got everything?" Lexie called out to Mark who came walking down the steps with Owen beside him.

"If we find anything you've forgotten we'll have it mailed out to you" Owen promised, looking over his shoulder at the house that was about to become his home. He still couldn't believe that Mark and Lexie had given them a house, but he knew how much it meant to Cristina…and to him as well.

Slapping Owen on the back Mark made his way over to Derek, he had intentionally left him to last because he knew that saying good bye to Derek would be the hardest.

"Well this is it…" Mark trailed with his hands in his pockets.

"I can't believe you're actually leaving, I mean I had myself convinced that I'd be stuck with you following my every move until we were old and grey" Derek teased.

"You are old and you are grey" Mark pointed out with an evil grin because doing the emotional stuff wasn't really the type of relationship that they had.

But shaking his head with a smirk Derek decided to break tradition and pulled Mark into a hug, "it won't be the same without you here".

Giving Derek a quick hug back Mark pulled away, "hey it's not like we're never gonna see each other again…we are married to _sisters _after all".

"I don't know if you remember it or not but Dad use to have this saying whenever one of his old buddies moved away, and so I thought of it when I realised I wouldn't be working with you anymore, not for a long time, at least. Dad would…."

"Clasp the person's hand" Mark said taking Derek's hand with a fond smile because he remembered exactly what Jonathon Shepherd used to say.

"And say we only part to meet again" Derek smiled shaking Mark's hand confidently because he knew that it wouldn't be long before they saw each other again.

"Mark" Lexie called out from the front passenger seat of the car.

"You better head off if you want to make it in a reasonable time" Derek ordered slapping Mark on the back.

Nodding his head Mark moved along down the line and shook hands with Alex and Owen and kissed Izzie, Meredith and even Cristina goodbye before jumping into the car.

"Meredith" Lexie called out, "I just wanted to say…" she trailed as Mark started the engine. "I just wanted to say thank you…"

"You don't have to say thank you, I was a pretty crappy sister" Meredith sighed with a sad smile. She hated having to say goodbye to her baby sister when she was only just beginning to learn how to be a sister.

Taking a deep breath Lexie shook her head, "you weren't a crappy sister Mer…you were you and I love you for that, and even when you had no reason to you took me in and let me be apart of your family" she stated pointing to Cristina, Izzie and Alex, "so thank you for everything Mer".

Not trusting her own voice Meredith simply nodded her head in understanding as she felt Derek's arms pull her in for comfort.

"So long" Izzie called out in farewell as Mark slowly began to back the car out of the drive way.

"Don't forget to call when you get there" Meredith ordered as they all followed the car down to the footpath.

Nodding her head Lexie looked over at Izzie, "Izz try and go easy on Cristina okay, and don't go over board with the tulle because she might strangle you with it" she called out teasingly.

"There's no might about it" Cristina grumbled before a smirk broke out on her face.

"Bye" Lexie called out.

Leaning forward so he could get a look at the six of them all standing in a row on the footpath Mark waved goodbye, "we'll be back to visit before you even know it" he promised and honked the horn one last time before taking off.

Looking over her shoulder Lexie kept her eyes trained on the house and on her family until Mark turned the corner and they were no longer in sight. Sighing sadly Lexie settled back into her seat and watched the trees pass her by; the irony wasn't lost on her.

At one stage in her life she had dreaded the thought of moving to Seattle and now she dreaded the idea of leaving, but this time the move was a lot easier knowing that she had Mark every step of the way.

"Hey you okay?" Mark asked after nearly a whole half an hour of complete silence, grasping her hand in his own Mark brought it up to his lips and kissed Lexie's hand softly.

Nodding her head Lexie watched Mark as he kept his eyes on the road, "the show must go on" she answered with a wide grin.

"Yeah…why is that, exactly? I mean, why can't the show just stop once and awhile?' Mark asked with a teasing grin as he turned on to the highway, speeding past a large billboard that read _you are now leaving Seattle, WA._

_

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Well that's all folk, I have officially finished my first story and it's sad and rewarding at the same time, so I hope that you all take the time to review this story one last time. _


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